Chelsea take on the visitors Benfica in the round 2 match of UEFA Champions League group stage. The match will be played on Tuesday, September 30th at Stamford Bridge (London).
Chelsea had shown weak results for several years following the change of ownership. But last summer they lured Enzo Maresca away from Leicester. He not only accomplished the main goal of returning the team to the Premier League’s top four — he also delivered a new trophy by winning the Europa Conference League. And last summer, Chelsea went even further, lifting the Club World Cup and formally claiming the title of the world’s number one club. However, in the new season their very first opponent, Crystal Palace, held them to a goalless draw, and this was not their only slip-up — their form has clearly dipped. In Munich, their latest Champions League outing ended in a 1-3 defeat to Bayern, largely due to their own defensive mistakes. They will be desperate not to drop points in the competition for a second consecutive match. Chelsea’s attack has shown flashes of quality but lacks consistency, with key players struggling to convert chances. Defensively, they appear vulnerable against stronger opposition, which has raised concerns about their ability to maintain last season’s level.
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Benfica once again changed managers after the season had already started. The Eagles had begun last season poorly, quickly parting ways with Roger Schmidt, the same coach who had led them to the Primeira Liga title in 2023. With Bruno Lage they added a League Cup trophy, but in the key tournaments — both the league and the Portuguese Cup — Sporting came out on top. After a short summer break (since they had played in the Club World Cup in early July), Benfica appeared to start well. In August they claimed the Super Cup by beating their city rivals Sporting, won a couple of league matches, and came through Champions League qualifiers against Nice and Fenerbahce. But a few early setbacks in autumn cost Lage his job. First they dropped points against Santa Clara, and then, despite leading 2-0 with two Sudakov assists in the Champions League opener, they collapsed at home to Qarabag. Soon after, José Mourinho took charge, ironically having just been dismissed in Istanbul after a Champions League qualifying loss. Under the new coach Benfica have managed two victories, but also had to settle for a draw in between. Mourinho has already tightened the defense, with clean sheets in both domestic wins. At the same time, the attack has looked more structured, though the team still depends heavily on Di María’s creativity.
All four previous meetings were won by the Blues. That included their summer clash at the Club World Cup, where Di María managed to equalize in regular time before Chelsea struck three more times in extra time against Trubin. The English side are still considered clear favorites. However, it seems likely Mourinho’s return to London won’t be in vain — the value lies in backing Benfica with a +1.0 handicap.
Prediction for the match: Benfica to win with +1.0 handicap.
