Portuguese football club Benfica will take on English side Chelsea in the Europa League final 2013 at the Amsterdam ArenA on Wednesday night.
The match will kick off at 12:15 AM (Thursday) IST (19:45 BST) and will be telecast live on Ten Action.
Overview:
The Blues have 100 percent record against the Benfiquistas but the final match will be a different game altogether as the latter have conceded only one defeat since September last year.
Benfica's enroute to the Europa League final is impressive. They beat Bordeaux 1-0 and 3-2 to proceed to the quarter-finals before beating Newcastle 3-1 and 1-1. They defeated Fernerbahce on 3-2 aggregate to book a place in the final. Their performance has been consistent this season.
Chelsea beat Steaua 3-2 on aggregate in the group of 16 before defeating Rubin 5-4 on aggregate in the quarter-finals. They won 2-1 and 3-1 convincingly against Basel in the semi-finals on their way to the final.
Previous Meetings:
Chelsea emerged triumphant in their only meeting last season, beating Benfica 1-0 in Lisbon and 2-1 at home.
Team News:
Benfica: Manager Jorge Jesus will have the full strength when his team takes on Chelsea, as they don't have injury scare. Striker Oscar Cardozo, who has found the net in six of the last 10 games played against English teams, will be expected to score on Wednesday night.
Chelsea: Rafa Benitez has said that Eden Hazard will miss the Europa League final due to a hamstring injury he picked up during a match against Aston Villa. Defender John Terry is also doubtful for the match due to an ankle injury. Fernando Torres will lead the Blues in the attack
Probable Line-ups:
Benfica: Artur, Pereira, Luisao, Ezequiel Garay, Lorenzo Melgarejo, Nemanja Matic, Enzo Perez, Eduardo Salvio, Rodrigo Lima, Nicolas Gaitan, Oscar Cardozo
Chelsea: Petr Cech, Cesar Azpilicueta, Gary Cahill, Branislav Ivanovic, Ashley Cole, David Luiz, Ramires, Oscar, Juan Mata, Victor Moses, Fernando Torres
