Chelsea and Benfica compete for UEFA Europa League Final in Amsterdam, Rafael Benitez and blues and more experienced and favorite for trophy.
Spanish manager Rafael Benitez has a final chance to secure silverware at the end of a tumultuous six months in charge at Stamford Bridge when Chelsea take on Benfica in the final of the Europa League on Wednesday.
From the moment he took over from last year Champions League winner Robert di Matteo, Benitez was given a most hostile reception from a large section of Chelsea fans, who refused to put aside the rivalry he had with the Blues during his time as Liverpool manager.
Benitez has already achieved the primary objective of securing a place in the Premier League’s top four and at least a place in the Champions League qualifiers, but a trophy has so far eluded him.
Chelsea have had plenty of opportunities to get their hands on one this season, but they have fallen short in the final of the FIFA Club World Cup and the semifinals of both the FA Cup and Capital One Cup.
“This is the final and I want to win,” Benitez said, “If we can do it I will be really proud because we worked so hard in difficult circumstances. You have to give credit to all the people involved, the staff and the players.”
If Chelsea do claim victory in Amsterdam they will become the first club to lift the European Cup and the Europa League/UEFA Cup in consecutive seasons, in that order, as well as joining Juventus, Ajax and Bayern Munich as the only other sides to win all three main European trophies (Chelsea have twice won the Cup Winners’ Cup).
The match is arguably of even greater significance for Benfica, however. The famous Lisbon club, with two European cups to their name, have not won a European trophy in 51 years since the man that led to them to those triumphs, Bela Guttman, was dismissed and then vowed that Benfica would never again taste continental glory.
“Benfica created a name for themselves in the 1960s and 1970s,” current manager Jorge Jesus said, “It hasn’t been the same in recent years but we’ve rediscovered our luster, some of our old prestige. If we compare our recent European pedigree with Chelsea’s then obviously Chelsea are favourites. But a final is a final and we at Benfica have a different way of looking at it.”
Benfica’s most recent heartache, though, came at the weekend when Jesus’ side suffered their first league defeat of the season in their most important game, against Porto, which saw them relinquish their lead atop the Portuguese Liga.
Chelsea could have two former Benfica players in their side in the form of David Luiz and Ramires. One player that will not be in the Premier League outfit’s lineup, though, is Eden Hazard, who has been ruled out with a hamstring injury.
Chelsea and Benfica met in the quarterfinals of Europe’s premier competition last season when the Blues prevailed on their way to lifting the trophy for the first time.
Benfica vs Chelsea UEFA Europa League Final:Team News and Tactical Brief probable Line-ups
Benfica
Jorge Jesus doesn’t have any injury worries to contain with before this big game. Maxi Pereira, however, will miss out this match due to suspension after picking up a yellow card in the first of the second leg against Fenerbahce. Which means that Lorenzo Malgarejo will play as the left back, while Almeida, who played as the left-back in the last match, will be shifted to the right-back.
Only one more change is expected to the line-up that start against Porto at the weekend. Ola John, who started that match, will be replaced by Benfica’s top scorer in the Europa League, Oscar Cardozo. This would mean Cardozo will play upfront, while Lima will drop in the hole behind him.
Jorge Jesus used a more attacking 4-3-3 formation against Fenerbahce in the second leg as his team required goals. One can expect him to change back to his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation for the final against Chelsea as he will be more circumspect in this match. This change would mean that Matic and Perez will form the pivot in the front of the defence, while Gaitan will play as the left winger, with Salvio on the right. Garay and Luisao will form the center of the defense, although it must be noted that Benfica have failed to keep a clean sheet for the last four matches. In fact the Portuguese team have kept only one clean sheet in this year’s Europa League and that was back in March, against Bordeaux. So defense is a bit of a worry for Jorge Jesus and against a Chelsea side, who are very strong in attack, his back four will be tested once again. Hence the role of Perez and Matic will be crucial in this game as they they will be up against the trio of Oscar, Mata and Moses. Both Perez and Matic will need to cover the space in-between the wingers and the full backs as well, defensively.
But Benfica’s strength is their attack; the trio of Gaitan-Lima-Cardozo is capable of causing problem to any defence. Hence they will hope to score more than they concede.
Probable Starting Line-up (4-2-3-1): Moraes (GK); Almeida, Garay, Luisao, Malgarejo; Matic, Perez; Salvio, Lima, Gaitan; Cardozo
Chelsea
Chelsea, unlike Benfica, do have a lot of fitness concerns at the moment. The big news for them before this match was that of Eden Hazard being almost ruled out for the final, but the Belgian has traveled with the team and is expected undergo a late fitness test. Hazard has been a crucial part of Chelsea’s attack this season and the Blues will surely miss him, if he fails to recover from his injury. John Terry is expected miss his second European final in a row, and this time with an injury. Oriol Romeu is the only other long term injury concern.
Demba Ba is ineligible for this match after taking part in this competition with Newcastle United. There are also doubts about the fitness of Mikel and Ryan Bertrand, although the duo can make it to the bench in the final.
This means that Rafa Benitez is expected to make four changes to the side that took to the field against Aston Villa at the weekend. Ba will be replaced by Torres up front, who is incidentally Chelsea’s top scorer in the Europa League. Oscar will replace the injured Hazard, who might start on the right hand side of the trio behind Torres. Frank Lampard, who became the club’s top scorer with a brace this weekend, might find himself on the bench in this match as Rafa might look to start with Ramires and Luiz in the double pivot.
The only change in defence is that Ivanovic will replace the injured John Terry and will partner Cahill in the center of the defense. Chelsea’s defense, like Benfica, has kept only one clean sheet in this competition and that came back in February, in the first leg of their tie against Sparta Prague. Their defense will once again come under pressure from a Benfica side who are dangerous upfront.
The relatively inexperienced Azpilicueta will be up against Benfica biggest attacking threat, Gaitan, and his performance against him can be a crucial factor in deciding the outcome. Hence the right back will require help from Ramires and Luiz in dealing with his threat.
In attack Oscar is likely to start on the right. Mata in the center and Moses out left, but the trio will keep exchanging their positions throughout the match and that could prove to be their biggest strength. Mata would be drifting wide – to the left or right – while Oscar is expected to drift to a more central role. In fact the Brazilian seems to be more comfortable playing through the center. Chelsea could potentially target the inexperienced Lorenzo Malgarejo on the left hand side of the defence, which could also force back Gaitan to a certain extent as he will have to track back to help out his team mate down that side.
Probable Starting Line-up (4-2-3-1): Cech; Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, Cahill, Cole; Ramires, Luiz; Oscar, Mata, Moses; Torres
Benfica vs Chelsea UEFA Europa League Final:Key Facts
- The last time these two teams met, Chelsea came out on top 3-1 on aggregate in the Champions League last season.
- Benfica striker Oscar Cardozo has scored in six of his team’s last 10 games against English opposition.
- Chelsea have scored at least 2 goals in their last 5 matches in UEFA Europa League.
- Both these teams have kept only one clean sheet in the competition so far.
- If Benfica win the final, they will lift their first major European trophy since 1962.
