Match for the Club World Cup’s round of 16, at the Bank of America Stadium, in Charlotte. Single-elimination game. In case the score after the end of the 90’ is tied, extra time follows, and after that (if necessary) a penalty shootout.
Match Facts
- The two teams have faced each other thrice, with Chelsea winning every game.
- The winner of this match will face Palmeiras or Botafogo.
- Two straight Chelsea FCWC games ended with over 2.5 goals.
- Two of Benfica’s three games in the competition ended without both teams scoring, following five games where they conceded at least once.
Betting Tip Benfica - Chelsea
Benfica’s big win brought them a very strong opponent in the round of 16 and a difficult path to the final. Chelsea earned a hard-fought spot, and now they have an opportunity to go further. They have both the talent and the squad depth to move forward during the first 90’, and our pick is Chelsea to win.
- Betting tip: Chelsea win
- Odds: 2.10 (at the time of writing)
- Stake: 5
Benfica
Benfica were able to secure a hard-fought win against German superpower Bayern Munich, but that only led them to face fading Chelsea, another powerful European team. Benfica were the better side in the first half, taking advantage of Bayern’s squad rotations, and were able to find a winner through Andreas Schjelderup in the 13th minute. It was the Norwegian midfielder’s fifth goal of the season, while goalkeeper Trubin was decisive in Benfica securing a clean sheet.
They will now face the London side for the third time in their history, looking to earn their first win against them, a win that will lead them through to the quarter-finals. They have managed to score in all three group stage games after putting two past Boca Juniors (2-2) and six (!) past semi-pro side Auckland FC (6-0).
They have tallied 5 games with BTTS in their last 7 in all competitions, with three of them including Over 2.5 Goals. They have been scoring a lot recently, with 6 of their last 10 games ending with Over 3.5 Goals. They have no players missing for this one.
Chelsea
Chelsea were able to easily overcome the resistance of ES Tunis (3-0) and advance to the next round. It just took a period of two minutes for the game to be over. Adarabioyo and Delap scored in the first half stoppage time to put this to bed, with Delap scoring his first goal as a Chelsea man.
That win helped erase the poor performance and loss against the Brazilian side Flamengo. Chelsea were able to score in all three of their group stage games, keeping two clean sheets, and seeing their last two end with Over 2.5 Goals.
Enzo Maresca rotated his squad in this one, and he is expected to field the starters in the game against Benfica, a team that Chelsea has been able to defeat in every occasion they met each other. It remains to be seen how many games will be Jackson’s punishment for his red card in the previous game.
