Club World Cup 2025: Benfica-Chelsea, the likely lineups

After a brilliant group stage, Benfica is ready to continue to surprise in the knockout phase of the Club World Cup. In the round of 16, however, awaiting the Portuguese is an opponent of great European tradition: the Chelsea team led by Enzo Maresca.

The competition has entered the thick of things: with 16 remaining, the teams now face each other with no more margin for error. Among the round of 16, the confrontation between two European formations stands out. Benfica impressed in the first round, ending their group in first place without defeat and overcoming the likes of Boca Juniors and Bayern Munich. The Blues, on the other hand, finished second in the group won by Flamengo, while still managing to eliminate Los Angeles FC and Esperance Tunis.

A place in the quarterfinals is up for grabs, where awaiting the winner will be one of the two Brazilians: Palmeiras or Botafogo. But any future talk is postponed. The focus is all on the engagement on Saturday, June 28, with kickoff at 10 p.m. Italian time at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

The probable lineups

Benfica (4-2-3-1): Trubin; Dahl, Antonio Silva, Otamendi, Aursnes; Renato Sanches, Barreiro; Di Maria, Kokcu, Akturkoglu; Pavlidis.
Coach: Lage

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Malo Gusto, Adarabioyo, Badiashile, Cucurella; Enzo Fernandez, Caicedo; Nkunku, Palmer, Pedro Neto; Delap.
Coach: Maresca