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It has been almost two-and-a-half years since Chelsea last kicked a ball in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge, but this evening sees that wait come to an end.
The Blues welcome Benfica, managed by a certain Jose Mourinho, to SW6 as they look to get their European adventure properly started tonight. A defeat away at Bayern Munich on matchday one adds more pressure on this evening's fixture as Chelsea look to progress through the league phase and into the knockout stages.
Mourinho is undoubtedly the talking point going into this MD2 tie, with the newly-appointed Benfica boss making a return to Stamford Bridge almost 10 years since he departed Chelsea for a second time. The 62-year-old has a bit of a mixed record against the Blues, where he has faced them 14 times altogether, while winning five, drawing two and losing seven times.
Enzo Maresca described it was a "privilege" to face someone of Mourinho's pedigree in the game, with the Chelsea head coach looking to outsmart his counterpart. However, Maresca will have to do that without some key players at Stamford Bridge.
Cole Palmer, Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, Liam Delap, Levi Colwill and Dario Essugo are all missing tonight due to injuries, while there are fitness concerns regarding Moises Caicedo, Joao Pedro and Andrey Santos. With all of this being said, Bobby Vincent has a go at predicting the team Maresca will field later on in west London.
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