Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca unveiled two unexpected tactical decisions in his starting XI for Saturday’s Club World Cup last-16 clash against Benfica.
After rotating heavily in Tuesday’s match against Esperance Tunis, Maresca restored a stronger lineup—but not without surprises. Most notably, Tosin Adarabioyo was dropped, with Benoit Badiashile taking his place alongside Levi Colwill in central defense, despite both being natural left-footers.
Another surprise came in midfield, where Romeo Lavia returned to the starting XI alongside Moises Caicedo. Enzo Fernandez was deployed in an advanced role as a number 10, pushing Cole Palmer to the right flank and handing Pedro Neto a start on the left wing. Neto, who missed Tuesday’s game, returned to the lineup with a point to prove.
Reece James also returned to captain the side at right-back, while Liam Delap kept his spot up front due to Nicolas Jackson’s suspension.
Chelsea’s full XI:
Sanchez; James, Badiashile, Colwill, Cucurella; Lavia, Caicedo; Palmer, Fernandez, Neto; Delap
Meanwhile, Benfica made two changes from the team that defeated a rotated Bayern Munich side to top their group. Renato Sanches and Gianluca Prestianni were dropped, with Florentino Luis and Orkun Kokcu brought into midfield to reinforce the engine room.
Benfica’s full XI:
Trubin; Silva, Aursnes, Kokcu, Di Maria, Pavlidis, Barreiro, Schjelderup, Dahl, Otamendi, Florentino
The tactical reshuffle adds further intrigue to this pivotal last-16 matchup, where both managers are seeking an edge in what promises to be a fiercely contested Club World Cup encounter.