Benfica are only down one goal to Chelsea, but it's rare that teams lose at home in the first leg of a UEFA Champions League knockout tie, then go on to the next round. While Benfica created plenty of shots against Chelsea in the first leg, they didn't create much in the way of clear-cut goal scoring chances in their 1-0 loss at Estadio da Luz.
Chelsea Vs. Benfica, 2012 UEFA Champions League: Blues All But Through
Benfica needs a miracle to advance past Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.
Chelsea are unlikely to have either Didier Drogba or David Luiz available for the return leg at Stamford Bridge. Both suffered injuries over the weekend, Raul Meireles, who started in the first leg, has a minor knee injury and could miss out. Otherwise, Chelsea have a clean bill of health, leaving Roberto Di Matteo with plenty of options.
Benfica and Jorge Jesus have less options. One of their starting central defenders and both of their top backups, Ezequiel Garay, Miguel Vitor and Jardel, will both miss out through injury. Javi Garcia could move back to central defense from midfield to account for those issues. Benfica are completely fit in midfield and attack, but those three defensive absences will be hard to overcome.
Game Date/Time: Wednesday, April 4, 2:45 p.m. ET, 7:45 p.m. local
Venue: Stamford Bridge, London, England
TV: FOX Soccer Channel (USA), Sportsnet World (Canada), ITV 1 (UK)
We’ll have live coverage of the game in our UEFA Champions League Wednesday StoryStream. For more on the Blues, head over to Chelsea FC blog We Ain’t Got No History.
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