Club World Cup: Benfica vs Chelsea - Betting Tips, Odds & Prediction

Benfica pulled off a surprise by topping Group C over Bayern Munich, setting up a last-16 showdown with Chelsea this Sunday in the Club World Cup.

Benfica were outsiders across football betting sites to win Group C but stunned Bayern Munich on the final day to secure top spot. Chelsea, on the other hand, expected to dominate Group D, but Flamengo finished ahead of them. 

The Portuguese giants might feel hard done by after their group stage success, only to face a two-time Champions League winner. But their strong form could pose real problems for a vulnerable-looking Chelsea side. Read on for a look at our expert analysis and football betting tips on this knockout clash.

Benfica

Benfica left Bayern shell-shocked in their final group match as Andreas Schjelderup's 13th-minute goal went unanswered. The win saw them finish atop Group C and post back-to-back victories after a four-match winless slump.

The Eagles will hope to bring this momentum to the Chelsea game, but history says they have struggled against English teams in the past. Benfica have not won any of the seven matches they have played against Premier League sides, since beating Tottenham in March, 2014.

Bruno Lage’s men will look to draw inspiration from their round-of-16 record in international competitions. They’ve progressed from 10 of their last 12 last-16 ties over the last 15 years. However, one of the two losses came earlier this year, when they fell to Barcelona in the Champions League. 

Team News: Andrea Belotti will return to lead the line. Full-back Alvaro Carreras, however, will miss out because of suspension.

Predicted Lineup: Trubin; Aursnes, Silva, Otamendi, Dahl; Sanches, Barreiro; Di Maria, Prestianni, Schjelderup; Pavlidis.

Chelsea

A lacklustre display against Flamengo left Chelsea second in Group D, but that may well have been a blessing in disguise. They would have faced Bayern in the last 16 had they topped the group. Even so, they can't afford to take Benfica lightly.

Chelsea rested most of their regulars in their final group stage clash with Esperance de Tunis, so they will be coming out of the tunnel with fresh legs. 

With games coming thick and fast in the tournament, that rest could prove vital; especially as they managed the win without Cole Palmer and several other key players.

Team News: Nicolas Jackson will watch on from the stands as he sits this one out after picking up a red card against Flamengo. 

Predicted Lineup: Sanchez; James, Adarabioyo, Colwill, Cucurella; Fernandez, Moises Caicedo; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Delap.

• Benfica have scored in each of their last 18 matches.
• Chelsea have five clean-sheets in their last eight matches.
• Chelsea have a 100% winning record against Benfica in the three competitive matches they have played against the 38-time Portuguese champions.

Benfica have already shown that they are capable of defying the expectations on betting apps. A deeper analysis of their performance, however, suggests they have been papering over the cracks. 

They went two goals down against Boca Juniors in their opener, and were lucky to find a way back into the game. Even though they fired six goals past Auckland, it was only possible because of a late surge. Benfica did manage to beat Bayern convincingly, but the Bavarians rotated heavily in that game.

Chelsea have also struggled to show consistency, but their greater head-to-head record and squad quality leads us to believe Chelsea can win this match. But, it’s unlikely to be a goal-fest.

Liam Delap to Score First @ $7.00

Liam Delap has had an impressive start to his Chelsea career. He scored his first goal for the Blues in their final group stage game against Tunis. With Jackson out of the picture, Delap is guaranteed to start the game. The former Ipswich striker should be able to sneak past the Benfica backline and hand his team an early lead. Back Delap at $7 on Bet365 to score the first goal of the match.