Chelsea have won 12 of their 16 previous meetings with Portuguese clubs, including all six played at Stamford Bridge. Benfica meantime are winless in eight games against English opposition.
Chelsea vs Benfica preview
September could hardly have gone much worse for Chelsea, so they'll be hoping the final day of the month provides a much-needed victory. On Saturday, the Blues were beaten 3-1 by Brighton at home, leading thanks to Enzo Fernández, but then it all fell apart when Trevoh Chalobah was sent off shortly after half time. Brighton equalised with 13 minutes to play, before scoring not once but twice in injury time. This condemned Enzo Maresca's side to back-to-back Premier League defeats, having also been beaten at Manchester United a week earlier, now without a win in three, conceding a 93rd minute equaliser as they were denied a victory at Brentford to start the month, that one finishing 2-2.
In the Champions League meantime, the two-time winners were demolished 3-1 by Bayern Munich in their opener; the match far more one-sided than that scoreline may suggest. After this, they'll also welcome Ajax, Barcelona and Pafos to West London, while traveling to Qarabağ, Atalanta and Napoli, so they really need to start picking up points if they're going to secure a top eight spot.
Meantime, we have really buried the lead, because the special one is back. On matchday one of the league phase, Benfica raced into a 2-0 lead against Qarabağ in Lisbon, only to completely collapse, beaten 3-2 at Estádio da Luz, a truly catastrophic result. As a result, Bruno Lage was immediately sacked, with José Mourinho appointed his successor, a hiring laced with narrative. Benfica was Mourinho's first managerial job, sacked after just 11 matches in 2000 following a chance of president, only to move to Porto, with whom he won seven major honours including the UEFA Cup and Champions League. Meantime, his most-recent job was with Fenerbahçe, sacked by them just last month because they were beaten in the play-off round of this competition by, you guessed it, Benfica.
Since taking over, Mourinho has enjoyed Primeira Liga victories over AVS and Gil Vicente, but was held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Rio Ave last Tuesday, conceding a stoppage time leveller. In the league phase, every point is precious for the Eagles, considering they still have to travel to Newcastle, Ajax and Juventus, while Bayer Leverkusen, Napoli and Real Madrid will visit the Estádio da Luz.
Each time Chelsea have faced Benfica in the past, they've gone on to win whatever competition it has come in, ousting them in the Champions League quarter-finals in 2012, before a 2-1 victory in the following year's Europa League Final. The pair actually met as recently as June, with the Blues prevailing in extra time in the Club World Cup round of 16, a match that took over four hours to complete due to adverse weather in North Carolina. Mourinho has overseen 321 matches at Chelsea manager, winning eight trophies across two spells, so can he now beat his former club here?
Chelsea vs Benfica head-to-head record
- Matches Played: 4.
- Chelsea Wins: 4. Draws: Zero. Benfica Wins: Zero.
Chelsea team news
Enzo Maresca is very short of defensive options, given that Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana and Tosin Adarabioyo are all injured, while Trevoh Chalobah's red card at the weekend means he will be suspended for the visit of Liverpool on Saturday, albeit he can feature here.
Elsewhere, Cole Palmer is also sidelined, the Blues are always worse without him, so Estêvão Willian and Pedro Neto started out-wide against Brighton, with Alejandro Garnacho, Jamie Gittens and Tyrique George the alternatives.
Chelsea predicted lineup vs Benfica: (4-3-3): Sánchez; James, Chalobah, Hato, Cucurella; Caicedo, Santos, Fernández, Estêvão, Neto; João Pedro.
Chelsea player to watch vs Benfica
João Pedro has scored five goals in ten Chelsea appearances, including the Club World Cup, so can he add to his tally, set to lead the line again in the continued absence of Liam Delap?
Benfica team news
José Mourinho has been in the job for less than a fortnight, but has already overseen three games.
Thus, he has not had time to change very much, with Nicolás Otamendi, formerly of Manchester City, captaining the team alongside star centre-back António Silva, while Aston Villa loanee Enzo Barrenechea scored against Qarabağ on matchday one.
Benfica predicted lineup vs Chelsea: (4-3-3): Trubin; Dedić, Otamendi, Silva, Dahl; Barrenechea, Aursnes, Sudakov; Lukébakio, Schjelderup, Pavlidis.
Benfica player to watch vs Chelsea
Since joining Benfica from AZ last summer, Vangelis Pavlidis has scored an impressive 37 goals for the club, eight of which have come in the Champions League. Last October, he scored both goal as Greece beat England 2-1 at Wembley, so will Pavlidis enjoy another memorable night in London?
Chelsea vs Benfica prediction
Despite their recent poor form, and the obvious Mourinho factor, we are backing Chelsea to make home advantage count and collect all three points on Tuesday: Chelsea 2-0 Benfica.
Chelsea vs Benfica FAQs - UEFA Champions League
How to watch Chelsea vs Benfica in the Champions League on TV channel?
Chelsea vs Benfica in the Champions League will be available on the following TV channels;
- UK: TNT Sports 1 & Ultimate.
- USA: Paramount+, TUDN USA & Univision NOW
- Canada: DAZN Canada
How to watch Chelsea vs Benfica in the Champions League on live streaming?
Chelsea vs Benfica in the Champions League will be available on the following streaming services;
- UK: Discovery+
- USA: Paramount+, TUDN.com & UniMás
- Canada: DAZN Canada
What is the date and kick-off time for Chelsea vs Benfica in the Champions League?
Chelsea vs Benfica takes place on Tuesday 30 September 2025, with kick off at 20:00 (BST), 15:00 (EDT) & 12:00 (PDT).