UEFA Champions League---Chelsea VS Benfica Prediction

Chelsea VS Benfica    Livescore / H2H stats and Live Streaming
Time:01-10-2025 03:00 Wednesday
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Match Preview:
Despite already winning every UEFA honour that is there to be won - a feat that no other club in Europe can shout about - Chelsea's quest to become kings of the continent for a third time started on the wrong foot against their 2012 final foes Bayern Munich.

Earning another slice of revenge for that miserable night in Munich 13 years ago, the Bundesliga champions strode to a 3-1 victory in matchweek one, as Cole Palmer's fine finish was in vain thanks to a Harry Kane double and Trevoh Chalobah own goal.

The latter's unintentional villain arc against Chelsea continued in Premier League action at the weekend, where his early second-half red card triggered a barnstorming Brighton & Hove Albion comeback in West London, as Enzo Maresca's men slumped to a 3-1 loss to the Danny Welbeck-inspired Seagulls.

The same cannot be said for upcoming opponents Benfica, whose final game under head coach Bruno Lage ended in a shock 3-2 home loss to Qarabag in their opening Champions League scrap of the season, where the Eagles blew a 2-0 lead in catastrophic fashion.

Lage's Eagles were soaring with just 18 minutes gone, but their Azerbaijani foes pulled off a captivating comeback in what proved to be a sack-worthy result in the eyes of the Benfica board, who have now placed their faith in a familiar face.

Mourinho's first foray into top-level management came at the Estadio da Luz a quarter of a century ago - he took charge of just 10 Benfica games back in 2000 - but the Eagles' decision to bring back the two-time Champions League winner is already paying dividends.

Match Prediction:
Chelsea had the upper hand against Brighton before indiscipline - and, to an extent, Maresca's defensive-minded substitutions - cost them for the second Premier League gameweek in a row. However, so long as the Blues can keep 11 men on the field, they should outgun a Benfica side still acclimatising to Mourinho's methods as the Portuguese's return ends in a reverse.