Nicolas Jackson remains suspended for Chelsea FC as they begin their Club World Cup knockout round campaign against Benfica. Jackson will serve the second of his two match ban in the round of 16 against a side that were surprise group winners.
Chelsea FC are quite fortunate however, in that Nico is their only suspended player for this upcoming match.
Chelsea FC vs Benfica FYIs
Kickoff: Sat June 28, 4pm EST, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Competition: 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Round of 16
Chelsea FC Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Blues Team News
Chelsea came into their last group stage clash, a 3-0 win over ES Tunis, with a real danger of six players missing out on this round of 16 affair.
Marc Cucurella, Reece James, Moises Caicedo, Pedro Neto, Tosin Adarabioyo and Liam Delap all picked up a yellow card at some point over the southwest London side’s first two group stage matches, a win over Los Angeles FC and a loss to Flamengo.
However, none of them picked up that dreaded second yellow on Tuesday night, meaning it all resets now.
And now Blues boss Enzo Maresca has no fresh selection issues to contend with here.
And that can only be a good thing.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter