The Daily Star Ireland
After a two-year absence, Chelsea have returned to the Champions League with renewed ambition. The London club secured their place in this season’s competition by finishing fourth in the Premier League and further underlined their resurgence by lifting the Club World Cup over the summer. Under new coach Enzo Maresca, the Blues began the 2025/26 campaign with high hopes but were quickly reminded of the challenges at this level, losing 3-1 away to Bayern Munich in their opening group fixture.
Domestically, Chelsea’s early-season form has been mixed but stable. The team remained unbeaten in their first four league matches, earning two wins and two draws, before suffering their first defeat against Manchester United (2-1). Last weekend, they looked to recover momentum with a home clash against Brighton.
Benfica’s Rocky Start and Mourinho’s Arrival
Benfica, quarterfinalists in last year’s competition, faced a longer route to the group stage this season. They successfully navigated the qualifiers, dispatching Nice 4-0 on aggregate and edging Fenerbahçe 1-0 across two legs. However, their Champions League campaign began in disastrous fashion, with a shock 3-2 home defeat to Qarabag. The result led to the dismissal of Bruno Lage and the appointment of José Mourinho, marking a dramatic change on the bench.
Mourinho’s arrival has already steadied the ship. Benfica responded with a 3-0 win away to AFS but were later held 1-1 at home by Rio Ave. Ahead of their clash with Chelsea, they sat third in the Portuguese league, looking to stay within touching distance of traditional rivals Porto and Sporting.
Team News and Key Players
Chelsea will be without several important names. Summer recruit Liam Delap and central defender Levi Colwill are sidelined, while Badiashile and Lavia also remain unavailable. Winger Andrey Santos, who joined in the summer, was not registered for the Champions League, and Mykhailo Mudryk continues to serve a suspension for doping. The biggest recent blow came with the injury to Cole Palmer, scorer of the lone goal against Bayern, who is expected to miss the next three weeks.
Even so, Maresca has attacking options. João Pedro (2 goals and 3 assists in the league) should lead the line, supported in midfield by Moisés Caicedo and Enzo Fernández, who have begun to form a strong partnership.
For Benfica, right-back Alexander Bah, winger Bruma, and midfielders Manu Silva and Nuno Félix are out of action. On the positive side, Belgian international Dodi Lukebakio has returned after missing the Qarabag clash. Greek striker Vangelis Pavlidis, who already has three league goals this season, will be key again, supported by summer signing Georgiy Sudakov. In defense, captain Nicolás Otamendi, 37, continues to anchor the back line alongside highly rated Antonio Silva, 21, providing both leadership and youth in central defense.
Match Outlook
Both teams approach this encounter with something to prove. Chelsea want to bounce back after their defeat in Munich, while Benfica need a result to recover from their shock opening loss. With attacking quality on both sides, goals are expected. Chelsea’s recent European games have been entertaining, with five of their last six Champions League matches producing two or more goals. Benfica’s away record shows a similar trend, with eight of their last ten matches going over 2.5 goals.
Prediction
Chelsea’s home advantage, coupled with Benfica’s inconsistent start, could tilt the balance toward the Premier League side. However, with Mourinho at the helm, Benfica will be disciplined and difficult to break down. Still, Chelsea’s depth and firepower should prove decisive.
Prediction: Chelsea 3 – 1 Benfica
