Benfica vs. Chelsea | Europa League Final preview

Europa League Final - Benfica vs. Chelsea

Kick - Off 19:45

Date: 15 May 2013

Venues: In Amsterdam

Team News

Benfica

• Maxi Pereira is suspended for Benfica, meaning Lorenzo Malgarejo will likely come in to replace the Uruguay international.


• Other than that, head coach Jorge Jesus has no further injury problems ahead of the Europa League final encounter with Chelsea.

Chelsea

• Rafael Benitez will be without John Terry and Eden Hazard after both limped off during the 2-1 win over Aston Villa with an ankle and hamstring injury, respectively.


• The Chelsea manager is also without long term absentee Oriol Romeu, while John Obi Mikel and Ryan Bertrand are both doubts.


• Ashley Cole will come in at left back after missing the second leg tie with Basel due to being suspended and Demba Ba is ineligible

Match Fact

Benfica succumbed to their first Liga Sagres defeat of the season on Saturday after falling to a 2-1 loss to FC Porto, seeing their title rivals leapfrog them in the table in the process.

Head coach Jorge Jesus is without the suspended Maxi Pereira, meaning Lorenzo Melgarejo will deputise at left back as the Portuguese side look to end their current run of six straight European final defeats.

Rafael Benitez will look to end the campaign on a high as Chelsea aim to become the first team to win UEFA's top-two European competitions in reverse order in successive campaigns.

However, the Blues manager will be without John Terry and Eden Hazard through injury, while Frank Lampard will likely drop to the bench after breaking Bobby Tambling's Chelsea record in the win over Aston Villa.

Ramires and David Luiz look set to anchor the midfield as the pairing come up against their former employers in Amsterdam.

The last time these two teams met, Chelsea came out on top 3-1 on aggregate in the Champions League last season, although the west London side will have to be wary of Benfica striker Oscar Cardozo, who has scored in six of his team's last 10 games against English opposition.

While Benitez has a number of injury worries, the strength in depth and quality to come off the bench will likely see Chelsea secure Europa League glory on Wednesday night.

Heart beating video!!!





Missing player for Benfica:

• Maxi Pereira

Missing players for Chelsea:

• Eden Hazard


• Oriol Romeu


• John Terry


• Demba Ba


• John Obi Mikel (Doubtful)


• Ryan Bertrand (Doubtful)

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John Terry and Eden Hazard travel to Amsterdam

John Terry, Eden Hazard and John Mikel Obi are part of a 25-man travelling party to Holland for the Europa League final against Benfica.

Both Terry and Hazard were withdrawn at Aston Villa on Saturday but join the squad that will train at the Amsterdam Arena on Tuesday evening ahead of Wednesday's match, while Mikel has missed the last four matches with a hip problem.



Ryan Bertrand is also on the trip despite a recent knee injury, meaning he will be hoping to complete a personal European double having made his Champions League debut in last season's final in Munich.



Oriol Romeu, who has not featured since rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in December, also joins the trip, along with Nathan Ake who did not play in last night's FA Youth Cup final second leg.



Demba Ba travels, but he is cup-tied having played earlier in the competition for Newcastle.



Full squad

Petr Cech

Ross Turnbull

Hilario

Jamal Blackman

Paulo Ferreira

Cesar Azpilicueta

John Terry

Branislav Ivanovic

Gary Cahill

David Luiz

Ashley Cole

Ryan Bertrand

Ramires

Frank Lampard

John Mikel Obi

Oriol Romeu

Nathan Ake

Victor Moses

Marko Marin

Yossi Benayoun

Juan Mata

Eden Hazard

Oscar

Fernando Torres

Demba Ba

Benfica extend margin at the top

Benfica moved seven points clear at the top of the Portuguese Liga tonight after a 2-0 win at Olhanense.

The Eagles could not find a breakthrough in the first half but never looked back once Eduardo Salvio put them in front seven minutes after the restart.



Nemanja Matic doubled the visitors' lead 12 minutes later to move Jorge Jesus' men well clear of second-placed Porto, who host Braga tomorrow.



Estoril moved up to fifth with a 4-0 thrashing of Nacional.



Goals from Carlitos, Carlos Eduardo and Leal inside the opening 11 minutes set the tone with Eduardo netting again at the start of the second half.



Nacional were never in the contest, although they were not helped by the 47th-minute dismissal of Miguel Rodrigues.



Beira Mar remain rooted to the foot of the table after a 2-1 defeat at Guimaraes.



Although Miguel Bura cancelled out Amido Balde's opener for the home side, Algeria international El Arbi Soudani popped up with the winner 17 minutes after half-time.



Beira Mar are four points adrift of a group of three clubs including Academica, who lost 2-1 to Gil Vicente.



Eduardo put the strugglers ahead after 41 minutes but Brito equalised before Bruno China's own goal settled it in Gil Vicente's favour.



Rio Ave edged out Vitoria Setubal in a clash which saw both sides finish with 10 men.



Frederico Venancio gave Setubal a second-minute lead but an Ahmed Koka penalty and a Bruno Braga goal saw Rio claim the points with Nelson Pedroso and Koka both seeing red.

English trio are kept apart

The three Premier League clubs have been kept apart in the Europa League quarter-final draw.

Chelsea will take on Russian side Rubin Kazan, Tottenham tackle Swiss outfit Basel and Newcastle will face Portugal's Benfica.

Rubin Kazan are currently sixth in the Russian Premier League and required extra-time on Thursday to defeat Spain's Levante 2-0 on aggregate in the last 16.

However they are likely to prove tough opponents for Chelsea after knocking out holders Atletico Madrid in the last 32 and emerging unbeaten from a tough group that included Inter Milan.

Rubin's game against Levante was played at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium - due to problems with their own pitch in the republic of Tatarstan - and they could also face the Blues at a venue where they lost the 2008 UEFA Champions League final to Manchester United.

Swiss champions Basel defeated Zenit St Petersburg 2-1 on aggregate to reach the last eight after hanging on to lose the second leg only 1-0 after the Russians missed a late penalty.

Basel failed to reach the Champions League group stage this season after losing to CFR Cluj in the play-off round.

Benfica, who are currently two points clear in the Primeira Liga, dropped into the Europa League after finishing third behind Barcelona and Celtic in Champions League Group G.

They beat Bordeaux 4-2 on aggregate in the last 16 after scoring two late goals to win the second leg 3-2.

"It's a great draw for us," said Newcastle manager Alan Pardew. "The Estadio da Luz is a great venue. I've been there and it's a fantastic stadium. Importantly, we are at home in the second leg and that will give us an advantage."

Benfica director Rui Costa said: "Newcastle deserve all our respect but we trust in ourselves. We will give it our best to go through."



Europa League draw:

Chelsea v Rubin Kazan

Tottenham v Basel

Fenerbahce v Lazio

Benfica v Newcastle



First-leg ties to be played on April 4, second-leg ties to be played on April 11.

Jesus insists Barcelona are beatable

Benfica head coach Jorge Jesus claims his side do not fear Barcelona and cannot wait to play them in the UEFA Champions League.

Barcelona head to Benfica on Tuesday for their second match in Group G after a narrow victory at home to Spartak Moscow on matchday one, while their hosts drew away to Celtic.



Although Jesus conceded Barcelona are a team 'with another dimension', he argued Benfica will attempt to overcome all the factors against them to defeat Tito Vilanova's visiting side.



"It's true that Barcelona is a team with another dimension," Jesus said.



"They are a bigger club and certainly more capable, with more resources, collectively, but, mainly, individually.



"We have information about all our opponents and Barcelona is no different; and we will see if we can stop them more effectively than the other teams that have played them in the past.



"I know that Barcelona normally win all the matches and I know that they come from seven straight victories, we know that is a difficult match, we respect them, but we don't fear them."



Barcelona top Group G and have started La Liga with six victories from as many matches but Benfica striker Nolito remains convinced the Portuguese club will try and win.



"Yes of course that is very clear, the idea is always to win isn't it?" Nolito said.



"Sure Barcelona is a very strong rival but we are planning to go for a victory here.



"We want to make sure that we get some points here in Lisbon."

Axel Witsel Joins Zenit St. Petersburg

Zenit St. Petersburg have followed up their breathtaking signing of Hulk from FC Porto by snapping up midfielder Axel Witsel from Benfica.



The Russian champions are believed to have paid between €40M and €50M for Hulk and have now met Witsel’s release clause at the Estadio da Luz, a further €40M.



Witsel has inked a five-year deal with Luciano Spalletti’s men and will wear the number 28 shirt in a move which takes the Russian side’s spending close to the €100M mark in just 24 hours.



Witsel has been linked with a number of clubs over the last year, including Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Real Madrid.



He only joined Benfica last summer, signing from Standard Liege, but made an instant impact with the Portuguese giants.



The 23-year-old shone in the club’s Champions League games, demonstrating his ability to cut the mustard at the highest of levels, and adding to his list of suitors in the process.



Now the riches of Zenit have tempted Witsel, with Benfica powerless to prevent his move after his termination clause was met.