At the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, the FIFA Club World Cup Round of 16 features a clash between the Group C winners and the Group D runners-up: Benfica and Chelsea. The Portuguese side, who finished second in Liga Portugal last season, surprised many by topping Group C—despite sharing it with Bayern Munich, who returned to Bundesliga glory after a one-year drought. Bruno Lage's men have been on an upward trajectory: after an entertaining 2-2 draw in their opener against Boca Juniors, they secured a victory against New Zealand’s Auckland City, and most notably, defeated Bayern Munich in the decisive final group match. Thanks to that result, Di Maria and his teammates claimed first place and progressed to the knockout stage undefeated. Chelsea, on the other hand, entered this Club World Cup following a successful campaign in which they won the UEFA Europa Conference League and finished fourth in the Premier League, earning a return to next season’s Champions League. In the group stage, the Blues were inconsistent, finishing second in Group D with six points behind surprise leaders Flamengo. It was their 3-1 defeat to the Brazilian side—sandwiched between wins over Los Angeles FC and Esperance Tunis—that cost them the top spot. However, that second-place finish spared them from a potentially tougher Round of 16 clash against Bayern Munich, who were second in Benfica's group.

Benfica Recent Form and Key Stats

Benfica arrive at this Round of 16 clash in outstanding form, unbeaten in their last sixteen matches, with eleven wins and five draws. In their final group game, they edged out Bayern Munich 1-0 thanks to a crucial goal from Norwegian forward Andreas Schjelderup in the 13th minute, assisted from the right flank by rising Argentine star Gianluca Prestianni.

In this year’s Club World Cup, the Águias have scored nine goals across three matches, conceding only twice—both goals coming in their opener against Boca Juniors. They kept clean sheets in their last two outings against Auckland City and Bayern Munich. Still unbeaten, Benfica are being led by veteran Ángel Di María, who has netted three times in the tournament and is eager to make an impact before returning to Rosario Central after eighteen years.

Chelsea Recent Form and Key Stats

Chelsea are also enjoying a good run, having won ten of their last twelve matches. In their most recent group stage match, they cruised to a 3-0 win over Esperance Tunis thanks to goals from Adarabioyo, Delap, and George. That victory allowed the Blues to bounce back after their 3-1 defeat to Flamengo and advance to the knockout phase.

The London club, coming off a physically demanding domestic season, finished Group D with six points from two wins and one loss. They scored six goals and conceded only once in total. Despite shipping three goals to Flamengo, Chelsea’s defense remains reliable, having recorded four clean sheets in their last six games. Among their standout performers is Pedro Neto, who has already scored twice in this Club World Cup.

Benfica vs Chelsea Prediction and Tactical Overview

Benfica and Chelsea haven’t faced each other in over a decade in an official competition. Their last encounter was in May 2013, when Chelsea came out on top with a 2-1 win. More broadly, the Blues have won their last three head-to-heads against the Portuguese side.

Interestingly, both teams have displayed identical attacking and defensive averages over their past five matches—scoring an average of 2.2 goals per game and conceding 0.8. Benfica have scored and conceded in six of their last eight games, suggesting an open style of play.

For this Round of 16 clash, fans can expect an exciting contest between two sides that ended their respective seasons strongly and are eager to cap off their campaigns on a high.

The Benfica vs Chelsea prediction, based on the BetMines algorithm, forecasts a match with goals on both ends.

• Benfica vs Chelsea prediction from the BetMines algorithm predicts that both teams will score at least one goal at 60%.
  
  
• Benfica vs Chelsea prediction from the BetMines Algorithm predicts that at least one of the two teams will not score a goal at 40%.

Probable Lineups: Benfica vs Chelsea

BENFICA (4-2-3-1): Trubin; Aursnes, Silva, Otamendi, Carreras; Barreiro, Sanches; Di Maria, Prestianni, Schjelderup; Pavlidis. Coach: Lage

CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; James, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Madueke; Delap. Coach: Maresca