Jose Mourinho will be back in familiar surroundings on Tuesday night as Chelsea play their first home game in the Champions League this season, welcoming Portuguese giants Benfica to Stamford Bridge.
The Blues endured a tough start to their European campaign, falling 3-1 to Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. That result served as a wake-up call for the London side on their return to Europe’s elite competition.
Enzo Maresca’s men are grappling with a growing injury crisis ahead of this clash. Star forward Cole Palmer remains sidelined with a groin problem that has troubled him since the opening weeks of the campaign. The England international’s absence is compounded by issues in defence, where Chelsea are without several first-choice centre-backs.
Benfica also have injury woes of their own. Former RB Leipzig winger Bruma is nursing an Achilles issue, while defenders Manu Silva and Alexander Bah are both out with long-term knee ligament injuries. Even so, Roger Schmidt’s side are known for their resilience and will look to frustrate Chelsea with a compact shape before hitting on the counter through Dodi Lukébakio and new striker Vangelis Pavlidis.
Chelsea’s quality, however, should see them through on the night. With Mourinho watching from the opposition dugout, the atmosphere promises to be electric, but the Blues are tipped to collect their first three points of the campaign.
Prediction: Chelsea 3-1 Benfica
Chelsea predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Sánchez; Gusto, Chalobah, Badiashile, Cucurella; Lavia, Caicedo; Estêvão, Fernández, Garnacho; Pedro.
Benfica predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Trubin; Dedić, Otamendi, Silva, Dahl; Barrenechea, Ríos; Lukébakio, Sudakov, Schjelderup; Pavlidis.
