Benfica at Chelsea has one obvious, direct and box office headline- Jose Mourinho. Yes, the special one is returning to the place where he won three league titles, three League Cups and one FA Cup on Tuesday night.
The Mourinho reunion is going to make for a truly blockbuster of an evening.
Champions League Matchday 2 of 8
Chelsea FC vs Benfica
Kickoff: Tue Sept 30, 8pm, Stamford Bridge, London, UK
Chelsea Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
UCL Standing, Form: Chelsea FC 28th, 0 pts, -2 GD, L Benfica 24th, 0 pts, -1 GD, L
But Mourinho won’t have to face Chelsea talisman Cole Palmer (who is sidelined with a groin injury) tomorrow night, and he’s quite content with that.
“I’m happy with that, he’s a phenomenal player,” Mourinho said to the Daily Mail.
“But I think they have a good team, in a way that if Cole Palmer doesn’t play it’s not a problem for them.
“If (Heorhiy) Sudakov doesn’t play or if (Vangelis) Pavlidis doesn’t play, I am in big trouble. But for Chelsea, no problem.”
Let’s take a look at what lineup Mourinho may face on Tuesday night.
With Facundo Buonanotte ineligible to face his parent club and Trevoh Chalobah suspended for the last match, both will make use of their enforced/mandated rest and play a starting role on refreshed legs here.
Chelsea FC Starting XI Prediction vs Benfica
Robert Sanchez; Malo Gusto, Trevoh Chalobah, Benoit Badiashile, Marc Cucurella; Enzo Fernandez, Romeo Lavia; Estevao Willian, Facundo Buonanotte, Alejandro Garnacho; Joao Pedro
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