The reunion between Chelsea and Benfica on Saturday (28), for the round of 16 of the Club World Cup, has weight of tradition and painful memories to the Portuguese side. The teams face each other at 5 pm (Brasília) at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, in the United States, worth a place in the quarterfinals of the competition.
The match reissues a confrontation with full dominion of the, which won the previous three duels against the European competitions. The last one was remarkable: the European League final in Amsterdam, when the English won 2-1 with a goal from Ivanović in the additions.
Prior to that, the blues had already eliminated the incarnates in the quarterfinals of the 2012 Champions League, winning 1-0 in Lisbon and 2-1 in London.
Now the two clubs meet on American soil in search of survival in the World Cup. Benfica arrives packed by the good campaign in Group C, where he surpassed Bayern Munich (1-0), thrashed Auckland City (6-0) and drew with Boca Juniors (2-2), ending in the lead with seven points.
Already Chelsea advanced second in Group D. The English team won the LAFC (2-0) and the Tunis (3-0) species, but was defeated by Flamengo (3-1) and lost any chance of leadership.
The winner of the confrontation faces in the quarterfinals who pass by Palmeiras x Botafogo.
