The ‘Reds’ will face the winner of the Conference League and the fourth-placed team in the 2024/25 Premier League, a club that has one of the most expensive squads in Europe.

One of the most valuable assets is Enzo Fernández, the Londoners' most expensive player, signed from Benfica for 121 million euros in 2023, after the midfielder helped Argentina win the 2022 Qatar World Cup after just half a year at Benfica.

The London team also has an unblemished past against Benfica, with three wins in three games, in the quarter-finals of the 2011/12 Champions League (1-0 at Luz and 2-1 at Stamford Bridge) and the final of the 2012/13 Europa League (2-1 in Amsterdam).

Everything is pointing to victory for Chelsea, who finished second in Group D in the Club World Cup, with two wins, 2-0 against Los Angeles FC and 3-0 against Espérance Tunis, and, in between, a 3-1 defeat against Flamengo.

Even so, in the United States, Benfica has impressed more than the Londoners, after a failed season in which they only managed to win the League Cup, finishing second in the I Liga and reaching the final of the Portuguese Cup, which they lost to Sporting.

In the Club World Cup, Bruno Lage's team started by recovering from 0-2 to 2-2 against Boca Juniors, reaching the tie, with Otamendi, already reduced to 10 men, then thrashed Auckland City 6-0 and, to finish, achieved the first victory of all time, in the 14th attempt, against Bayern Munich (1-0).

A goal by the young Norwegian Andreas Schjelderup, after just 13 minutes, and three great saves by the Ukrainian goalkeeper Trubin gave Benfica the victory in Group C, against all expectations, and put the 'Eagles' on the path of Chelsea.

For the match against Chelsea, Lage will already be able to use Spanish left-back Álvaro Carreras and Italian striker Belotti, who were suspended for Bayern, as well as midfielder Florentino, who has recovered from the injury he suffered in the first game.

The 'reds' will be looking for the 'quarters' and also a prize of 12.150 million euros (ME), to add to the 26.126 ME already pocketed - 14.6 ME for the presence, 3.7 ME for the two triumphs, 926,000 for the draw and 6.9 ME for qualifying for the 'round of 16'.

Benfica and Chelsea will face each other on Saturday for the fourth time, in the second match of the round of 16 of the renewed Club World Cup, scheduled for 4 pm local time (9 pm in Lisbon), at the Bank of America Stadium, in Charlotte, United States.