Chelsea face an old friend in UEFA Champions League action on September 30 as Jose Mourinho's Benfica head to at Stamford Bridge.
Mourinho made the call this month to return to the club where he began his coaching career following his tense departure from Fenerbahce.
The veteran boss is unbeaten in three league games since landing back in Lisbon, but this is his first taste of a UCL clash at the helm of his new team. His predecessor, Bruno Lage, lost his job after a 3-2 home defeat to Qarabag on matchday one.
In a twist befitting the headline-grabbing coach, the 62-year-old has already featured in the UCL in 2025/26. His Fenerbahce team were knocked out by Benfica in the playoffs before he eventually took the top job back at Estadio da Luz.
Enzo Maresca's Blues kicked off their European campaign with a 3-1 loss at Bayern Munich and Chelsea are winless in their past three Premier League games.
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Chelsea vs. Benfica lineups: Predicted starting XI, team news, injury latest
Chelsea have a lengthy injury list to contend with right now including Cole Palmer, Liam Delap and Tosin Adarabioyo.
Trevoh Chalobah's weekend red card only applies to domestic games, so he is available, and France international Benoit Badiashile could return as his centre-back partner.
Jamie Gittens is tipped to come back in as part of a refreshed lineup from Maresca, and fit-again Romeo Lavia could bolster the midfield in place of Andrey Santos.
Chelsea predicted starting XI (4-3-3, right to left): Sanchez (GK) — James, Badiashile, Chalobah, Cucurella — Fernandez, Caicedo, Lavia — Gittens, Joao Pedro, Neto
Injured: Colwill (ACL), Delap (thigh), Palmer (groin), Tosin (calf), Fofana (head), Essugo (thigh)
Suspended: Mudryk (doping)
Mourinho has not made major changes to Lage's template at Benfica so far and he is set to stick with a largely unchanged team from the 2-1 weekend win over Gil Vicente.
Franjo Ivanovic replacing Dodi Lukebakio could be his sole rotation with Manu Silva and Alexander Bah both out due to long-term knee injuries.
Benfica predicted starting XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Trubin (GK) — Dedic, A. Silva, Otamendi, Dahl — Rios, Aursnes — Ivanovic, Sudakov, Schjelderup — Pavlidis
Injured: Silva (ACL), Bah (ACL), Bruma (calf)
Suspended: None
Chelsea vs. Benfica match details
- Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2025
- Kickoff time: 8 p.m. local / 12:30 a.m. IST (October 1)
- Location: Stamford Bridge, London (UK)
- Competition: UEFA Champions League league phase matchday two
- Referee: Daniel Siebert (GER)
- VAR: Christian Dingert (GER)