Chelsea vs Benfica Predictions: 30.09.2025 - Champions League Betting Tips

Chelsea vs Benfica

All eyes are on Jose Mourinho who returns to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea with his new club Benfica. Neither side managed to win their opening match - and so the pressure is already on - and the added return of the "Special One" makes this an intriguing clash.

Nathan Joyes provides his thoughts and best bet.

Hosts in recovery mode

After a strong start to the campaign, Chelsea have dropped off in recent weeks - and perhaps are starting to feel the impact of a long period without any rest.

Their sole win in their last five came against Lincoln City in the EFL Cup - and head into this match on the back of a 3-1 home defeat against Brighton. Throw in the 2-1 loss against against Man United and 3-1 vs Bayern, it's say to say Chelsea are in a bad moment.

To make matters worse, Cole Palmer and Liam Delap remain sidelined with injures. No doubt Enzo Maresca will be desperate to get either back on the field as soon as possible.

This next tie against Benfica looks difficult - and perhaps made even more difficult due to their latest appointment.

A new era for Benfica

After Benfica's shock 3-2 defeat at home to Qarabag in the Champions League, the board moved quickly to bring in Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese head coach has made a promising start at his new post (W2 D1) and heads to his old office looking to carry that form on.

Chelsea will need to keep an eye on Greek forward Vangelis Pavlidis who has scored four in his first three matches under Mourinho, including a brace last time out in a 2-1 win against Gil Vicente.

Benfica may have underperformed against Qarabag in their opening match, but it's worth noting they have won five of their last seven away trips in this competition - and with their new manager at the helm, they could be tough to beat.

Chelsea vs Benfica H2H

These two sides recently met at the Club World Cup, where the English side came out on top 4-1 - although Maresca's side required extra-time in order to achieve that result. The two clubs have met on three other occasions from 2012 onwards - and Chelsea have won them all.

Our Chelsea vs Benfica betting tip

With both clubs heading into this contest looking to bounce back from opening round defeats, Nathan Joyes believes this could be a tricky encounter. Let's dive in to his best bet.

Goals at the Bridge

Chelsea are in a tough spot right now but perhaps one or two results aren't quite as bad as what pundits are making out.

On paper, their 2-1 defeat against Man United was a poor result, but they did have to battle with 10 men for over 85 minutes. Against Bayern, it was a slow start, but Chelsea grew into the match and had opportunities - albeit through Cole Palmer.

But that's now five matches in a row without a clean sheet - and Mourinho will want to make sure his team take full advantage.

Yet although there's now added tension to the match due to his return, it's difficult to ignore their 3-2 defeat against Qarabag. Clean sheets have also been hard to come by, only securing one in their last five - and that came against AFS in the cup who haven't won since May.

With that in mind, both defences can be tested. Over 2.5 goals and both teams to score at evens with BetMGM looks to be a good angle in what could be an open game if there's an early goal.

TIP: Over 2.5  goals and BTTS Yes at 1/1 with BetMGM.

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