After grinding through a tough group stage, Chelsea hope to end their extra-long season with a lucrative run at the Club World Cup as they meet Portuguese giants Benfica in the Round of 16 from sweltering Charlotte on Saturday.
The Blues managed a second-place finish in their group behind Brazilian side Flamengo, who beat Chelsea 3-1 in the middle of their three group fixtures.
Benfica, on the other hand stunned Bayern Munich to close out their group stage jaunt, finishing atop the standings and booking a place in this marquee match.
Temperatures have been sweltering across the east coast of the United States throughout this past week, but Charlotte has been near the top of the list. Benfica used the conditions to their advantage in the win over Bayern, with readings up near 100 degrees Fahrenheit. They will still face mid-90's temperatures this weekend which both teams will have to push through.
The Sporting News runs through the latest team news and injury updates for both sides as the match draws nearer.
Benfica vs. Chelsea starting lineups, team news
Striker Andrea Belotti is back from his two-game suspension, but Bruno Lage has decided to stick with Vangelis Pavlidis to lead the line. They also get left-back Alvaro Carreras from an early yellow card ban, so he fills back in for Samuel Dahl.
Gianluca Prestianni can only make the bench after being withdrawn early in the second half amidst the scorching Charlotte heat, while Renato Sanches appeared to be struggling after his second-half substitution and does not appear in the squad today. 37-year-old Angel Di Maria earns a fourth straight start in a short span.
Orkun Kokcu, who was furious at being substituted against Auckland and had a row with the coach, and after reports that the issue has been put to bed, he came off the bench for a half-hour against Bayern and starts today.
Benfica starting XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Trubin (GK) — 18. Barriero, 4. Silva, 30. Otamendi, 26. Dahl — 8. Aursnes, 61. Luis — 11. Di Maria, 10. Kokcu, 21. Schjelderup — 14. Pavlidis.
Injured: Florentino, Sanches.
Suspended: None.
Yellow card away from suspension: Pavlidis, Kokcu, Bajrami
Full Benfica squad
Goalkeepers: Diogo Ferreira, Andre Gomes, Anatoliy Trubin
Defenders: Adrian Bajrami, Samuel Dahl, Alvaro Fernandez, Goncalo Oliveira, Nicolas Otamendi, Leandro Santos, Antonio Silva, Rui Silva, Joshua Wynder
Midfielders: Fredrik Aursnes, Leandro Barreiro, Orkun Kokcu, Florentino Luis, Rafael Luis, Diogo Prioste, Renato Sanches, Joao Veloso
Forwards: Kerem Akturkoglu, Andrea Belotti, Bruma, Angel Di Maria, Eduardo Fernandes, Tiago Gouveia, Evangelos Pavlidis, Gianluca Prestianni, Joao Rego, Andreas Schjelderup.
Enzo Maresca used the group stage to tinker and experiment with combinations, but he should switch back to his best lineup in the knockouts with huge prize money on the line. After Filip Jorgensen got a chance in goal in the group finale, Robert Sanchez returns between the sticks.
With Nicolas Jackson still suspended for his red card against Flamengo, Liam Delap continues up front in the striker role. The new Chelsea signing scored his side's second goal in the 3-0 win over Esperance to conclude group stage play.
The only Chelsea absences are Omari Kellyman and Wesley Fofana who not with the group as they recover from long-term injuries. Noni Madueke starts on the bench amidst simmering rumours of an exit this summer.
Chelsea starting XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Sanchez (GK) — 24. James, 5. Badiashile, 6. Colwill, 3. Cucurella — 25. Caicedo, 45. Lavia — 10. Palmer, 8. E. Fernandez, 7. Neto — 9. Delap.
Injured: W. Fofana (muscle), Kellyman (hamstring).
Suspended: None.
On a yellow card: James, Adarabioyo, Cucurella, Caicedo, Neto, Delap.
Full Chelsea squad
Goalkeepers: Filip Jorgensen, Mike Penders, Robert Sanchez, Gaga Slonina
Defenders: Josh Acheampong, Tosin Adarabioyo, Aaron Anselmino, Benoit Badiashile, Trevoh Chalobah, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella, Malo Gusto, Reece James, Mamadou Sarr
Midfielders: Moises Caicedo, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Dario Essugo, Enzo Fernandez, Romeo Lavia, Andrey Santos
Forwards: Liam Delap, Marc Guiu, Tyrique George, Nicolas Jackson, Noni Madueke, Pedro Neto, Christopher Nkunku, Cole Palmer
Benfica vs. Chelsea score prediction
Chelsea have been susceptible to lower-tier opposition, losing convincingly to Flamengo while also appearing vulnerable at times against LAFC during group stage play.
Meanwhile, Benfica were exceptional against Bayern Munich and handled the adverse conditions much better than the German giants, who wilted in the Bank of America Stadium heat. Even while it's not expected to be as blazing hot in North Carolina on Saturday, the Portuguese side will be ready for the conditions while Chelsea may struggle.
Even if Benfica aren't able to win outright, they can absolutely keep a lid on Chelsea and play for some kind of positive result. In the knockout stage, even a draw gives them a chance to advance on penalties.
Prediction: Benfica 1-1 Chelsea
How to watch Benfica vs. Chelsea: Live stream, TV channel
Here's how to watch this Round of 16 match at the 2025 Club World Cup across selected areas of the world's major regions:
| Date | Time | TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | Sat, Jun. 28 | 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT | — | DAZN |
| Canada | Sat, Jun. 28 | 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT | — | DAZN |
| UK | Sat, Jun. 28 | 9 p.m. BST | Channel 5 | DAZN |
| Australia | Sun, Jun. 29 | 8 a.m. AEST | — | DAZN |
| India | Sun, Jun. 29 | 1:30 a.m. IST | — | DAZN, Kayo Sports, Foxtel Now |