Preview:Chelsea vs Benfica - prediction, team news, lineups

A 'special' evening is in store at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night, as Benfica boss Jose Mourinho enjoys a Chelsea homecoming in the league phase of the Champions League.

The 62-year-old takes charge of his first UCL game for the Eagles at his former headquarters, where both the hosts and the visitors seek to get off the mark in Europe at the second attempt.

Match preview

Despite already winning every UEFA honour that is there to be won - a feat that no other club in Europe can shout about - Chelsea's quest to become kings of the continent for a third time started on the wrong foot against their 2012 final foes Bayern Munich.

Earning another slice of revenge for that miserable night in Munich 13 years ago, the Bundesliga champions strode to a 3-1 victory in matchweek one, as Cole Palmer's fine finish was in vain thanks to a Harry Kane double and Trevoh Chalobah own goal.

The latter's unintentional villain arc against Chelsea continued in Premier League action at the weekend, where his early second-half red card triggered a barnstorming Brighton & Hove Albion comeback in West London, as Enzo Maresca's men slumped to a 3-1 loss to the Danny Welbeck-inspired Seagulls.

Losing three of their last four games, winning just one of their last five - against lower-league Lincoln City in the EFL Cup - and already grappling with an absentee crisis, the Club World Cup champions are arguably now counting the cost of their success in the United States over the summer.

A three-game losing run in the Champions League proper - their longest-ever such sequence in the competition - does not paint a pretty picture for Chelsea either, but the Blues faithful can breathe a little easier knowing that their side have not been beaten at home in a UCL league phase/group-stage game since 2019.

The same cannot be said for upcoming opponents Benfica, whose final game under head coach Bruno Lage ended in a shock 3-2 home loss to Qarabag in their opening Champions League scrap of the season, where the Eagles blew a 2-0 lead in catastrophic fashion.

Lage's Eagles were soaring with just 18 minutes gone, but their Azerbaijani foes pulled off a captivating comeback in what proved to be a sack-worthy result in the eyes of the Benfica board, who have now placed their faith in a familiar face.

Mourinho's first foray into top-level management came at the Estadio da Luz a quarter of a century ago - he took charge of just 10 Benfica games back in 2000 - but the Eagles' decision to bring back the two-time Champions League winner is already paying dividends.

The former Chelsea head coach has overseen two wins and a draw from his first three Primeira Liga games at the helm, including a 2-1 comeback victory over Gil Vicente on Saturday, but history suggests that the Special One's homecoming will not be a happy one.

Indeed, Benfica have failed to win any of their last seven games against English teams in UEFA competition, and they have been beaten in each of their previous three competitive showdowns with Chelsea, including the 2012-13 Europa League final.

Chelsea Champions League form:

Chelsea form (all competitions):

Benfica Champions League form:

Benfica form (all competitions):

Team News

Starting off with some good news, Chalobah's sending-off at the weekend does not impact his availability in the Champions League, and Facundo Buonanotte is also available again after being unable to face his parent club on Saturday.

Onto the otherwise grim reality, Chelsea are still missing Cole Palmer (groin), Levi Colwill (knee), Liam Delap (thigh), Dario Essugo (thigh), Tosin Adarabioyo (calf) and Wesley Fofana (head), while Mykhaylo Mudryk's doping suspension is no closer to ending.

To make matters worse, Maresca revealed at his pre-game press conference that Joao Pedro, Moises Caicedo and Andrey Santos would all need once-overs due to knocks, and the former's absence could see Tyrique George shoe-horned into a centre-forward role.

Mourinho's Benfica do not arrive in tip-top shape either, as Manu Silva and Alexander Bah are both working their way back from ACL injuries, while winger Bruma could be out until 2026 with a ruptured Achilles.

The Eagles' attacking ranks have been further depleted by the absence of 19-year-old Gianluca Prestianni, who is currently representing Argentina at the Under-20 World Cup in Chile.

However, offensive figurehead Vangelis Pavlidis has started as he means to go on in 2025-26; the 26-year-old scored both goals in his side's success over Gil Vicente at the weekend and boasts seven for the season in all competitions already.

Enzo Barrenechea missed the aforementioned Primeira Liga win due to a yellow-card suspension, but the 24-year-old midfielder is now back in contention.

Chelsea possible starting lineup:

Sanchez; Gusto, Chalobah, Badiashile, Cucurella; Fernandez, Lavia; Estevao, Buonanotte, Garnacho; George

Benfica possible starting lineup:

Trubin; Dedic, Otamendi, A. Silva, Dahl; Barrenechea, Rios; Lukebakio, Sudakov, Schjelderup; Pavlidis

We say: Chelsea 2-1 Benfica

Chelsea had the upper hand against Brighton before indiscipline - and, to an extent, Maresca's defensive-minded substitutions - cost them for the second Premier League gameweek in a row.

However, so long as the Blues can keep 11 men on the field, they should outgun a Benfica side still acclimatising to Mourinho's methods as the Portuguese's return ends in a reverse.

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