Chelsea had a somewhat tricky time in the Club World Cup group stage, but they will aim to step up their game in the knockout rounds, starting with a high-profile match against Benfica at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
The draw has been kind to Chelsea, as they finished second in Group D but managed to avoid facing Bayern Munich in the last 16.
Benfica surprised everyone by topping Group C with a 1-0 win over Bayern, although they had a shaky start with a 2-2 draw against Boca Juniors.
Benfica had to come from two goals down against Boca, who ended the match with nine players after red cards for Ander Herrera and Nicolas Figal.
Team news
Benfica will have left-back Alvaro Carreras back from suspension for this match.
Renato Sanches was a doubt before the Bayern game but played until the 78th minute when he was substituted for Adrian Bajrami.
Chelsea will be without the suspended Nicolas Jackson due to his red card in the 3-1 defeat to Flamengo.
Liam Delap is expected to lead the attack, and Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo, Reece James, and Marc Cucurella are likely to return to the starting lineup after being on the bench for the 3-0 win over Esperance de Tunis.
The stats
Chelsea have won three of their last four games by at least two goals.
Chelsea have kept clean sheets in five of their last eight matches.
Chelsea have scored first in five of their last six games.
Both teams have scored in five of Benfica's last seven matches.
Three of Benfica's last four games have had at least four goals.
Prediction
Chelsea have won all three previous meetings against Benfica and are favored to continue that trend in this last-16 clash at the Club World Cup.
Although the last encounter was back in May 2013, where Branislav Ivanovic's late header secured a 2-1 victory in the 2012-13 Europa League final.
Chelsea are determined to add more trophies to their collection and seem strong contenders after landing in a favorable part of the draw.
Benfica have had a somewhat disappointing season, finishing as runners-up to Sporting in the Portuguese league and suffering defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League last 16.
While Benfica showed their quality with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Bayern, they might struggle to maintain the same level against Chelsea, who are good value to win without needing extra time.