Chelsea welcome Jose Mourinho to Stamford Bridge as the coach of Benfica, but the Blues will forgo all emotional attachments to this return as they need all three points.
While this Chelsea vs Benfica game has a lot of emotions to it, given the fact that Jose Mourinho is returning to the Bridge, it’s not the time for pleasantries.
Just like Mourinho said in his press conference, he is returning to Stamford Bridge as a Red and he’s coming to win. The same goes for Chelsea, who are yet to get a point in the Champions League and have suffered three consecutive defeats.
Chelsea come into this game with a patchy backline as Hato, Acheampong, and Badiashile are their main center-back options. The Blues will also rely on Chalobah, as his red card suspension doesn’t apply to European competitions.
Caicedo and Joao Pedro also face late fitness tests but Maresca is optimistic that they will be available for the game. Given that Lavia played vs Brighton, he is expected to be selected for the Benfica game.
Chelsea Predicted XI vs Benfica
Sanchez; Gusto, Chalobah, Badiashile, Cucurella; Fernandez, Lavia; Estevao, Buonanotte, Garnacho; George
