Chelsea welcome Benfica to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night in what promises to be a charged Champions League clash, headlined by Jose Mourinho's return to his old stomping ground.
Both sides enter the fixture desperate for points after opening-day defeats in Europe, with Chelsea humbled 3-1 by Bayern Munich and Benfica collapsing to a shock 3-2 loss at home to Qarabag. For Enzo Maresca, the pressure is mounting after three defeats in the last four across all competitions.
Benfica, meanwhile, arrive under new management with Mourinho back at the helm, his first UCL game with the Portuguese giants coming in the very stadium where he made his name. The narrative writes itself: Mourinho versus his former club. Both teams are struggling to find consistency.
Benfica have steadied under the Special One domestically, but history hasn’t been kind to them against English opposition, let alone Chelsea, who boast three straight competitive wins in this matchup.
The Sporting News looks at the key details ahead of this game, including how to watch the match, kickoff times and the latest lineup news.
Chelsea vs. Benfica live stream, TV channel
Here's how to watch this Champions League match in the U.S.:
TV channel: N/A
Live stream: Paramount+
This game is available for live TV in English in the U.S. Streaming options are available on Paramount+, which offers free trials to new subscribers. New subscribers can enjoy Paramount+ for one week before making a payment.
Paramount+ offers on the go streaming service beyond one sport. In addition to football, Paramount+ gives subscribers the ability to watch basketball, golf, and soccer with UFC on the way in 2026, and they won't have to break the bank in order to follow along with the latest sporting events.
What time does Chelsea vs. Benfica kick off?
This Champions League clash takes place at Stamford Bridge in London, England, and kicks off on Tuesday, September 30, at 8:00 p.m. local time.
Here's how that time translates across the U.S.:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| Eastern Time | Tue, Sept. 30 | 3:00 p.m. |
| Central Time | Tue, Sept. 30 | 2:00 p.m. |
| Mountain Time | Tue, Sept. 30 | 1:00 p.m. |
| Pacific Time | Tue, Sept. 30 | 12:00 p.m. |
Chelsea vs. Benfica lineups, team news
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
Champions League fixture schedule this week
All times ET
Tuesday, September 30
- Atalanta vs. Club Brugge (12:45 p.m.)
- Kairat vs. Real Madrid (12:45 p.m.)
- Atletico Madrid vs. Eintracht Frankfurt (3:00 p.m.)
- Bodø/Glimt vs. Tottenham Hotspur (3:00 p.m.)
- Chelsea vs. Benfica (3:00 p.m.)
- Galatasaray vs. Liverpool (3:00 p.m.)
- Inter Milan vs. Slavia Prague (3:00 p.m.)
- Marseille vs. Ajax (3:00 p.m.)
- Pafos vs. Bayern Munich (3:00 p.m.)
Wednesday, October 1
- Qarabağ vs. Copenhagen (12:45 p.m.)
- Union Saint-Gilloise vs. Newcastle United (12:45 p.m.)
- Arsenal vs. Olympiakos (3:00 p.m.)
- Barcelona vs. PSG (3:00 p.m.)
- Bayer Leverkusen vs. PSV (3:00 p.m.)
- Borussia Dortmund vs. Athletic Club (3:00 p.m.)
- Monaco vs. Manchester City (3:00 p.m.)
- Napoli vs. Sporting CP (3:00 p.m.)
- Villarreal vs. Juventus (3:00 p.m.)