Benfica vs Chelsea: Di Maria’s Magic or "Cold" Palmer — Who’s Headed to the Quarter-Finals?

From Lisbon’s proud Eagles to London’s swaggering Blues, this isn’t just a clash of two teams. It’s a battle of belief. Benfica are flying into their first-ever Club World Cup knockout stage. Chelsea, fresh off a reset, want to prove they’re not here to play around. 

And here’s the twist: the winner faces Palmeiras or Botafogo next. No easy roads left. No more warmups. It’s go time. 

📊Head-to-head: Benfica (0 wins), Chelsea (4 wins), Draws (0) 

📊 Benfica topped Group C ahead of Bayern (7 pts, unbeaten) 

📊 Chelsea finished 2nd in Group D behind Flamengo 

📊 Benfica’s Angel Di Maria has scored 3 penalties in 3 games 

📊 Chelsea have won 11 of their last 15 vs Portuguese teams 

📊 Benfica are averaging 3.00 goals per Club World Cup game 

Benfica are loving life in the States. A 6-0 demolition of Auckland. A hard fought 1-0 win over Bayern. They’ve flown under the radar and now they're roaring into the last 16. Schjelderup is shining. Di Maria hasn’t missed from the spot. And Bruno Lage wants respect. 

Chelsea? It’s been a tournament of drama. Lost to Flamengo. Rested stars. Then came Esperance Tunis, and a much-needed 3-0 bounce-back. Delap finally scored. Tosin looked dominant. And the bench showed teeth. 

Enzo Maresca now has options and problems. Who starts in attack? Does he trust youth or roll with flair? Either way, Chelsea’s road just got real. 

Benfica (4-2-3-1) 🔴⚪: 

Trubin; Aursnes, Silva, Otamendi, Carreras; Barreiro, Sanches; Di Maria, Prestianni, Schjelderup; Pavlidis 

 Chelsea (4-2-3-1) 🔵: 

Sanchez; James, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Enzo; Neto, Palmer, Madueke; Delap 

🔹 Di Maria’s Deadeye: He’s 37. He’s still sending keepers the wrong way. Three pens, no fuss. 

🔹 Delap’s Confidence: Got his first. Will he double up in a high-stakes clash? 

🔹 Midfield Reunion: Enzo vs Benfica. Expect fire. Maybe even a screamer. 

🔹 Trubin vs Chelsea’s Attack: The Ukrainian keeper was unreal vs Bayern. Can he keep Palmer & Co quiet? 

🔹 Benfica’s Belief: They’ve never gone this far. But momentum and chemistry are on their side.