Chelsea’s European opponents Benfica set for biggest week in short history

Chelsea’s UEFA Women’s Champions League round of 32 opponents Benfica are set for the biggest week in their history with the club poised to balance their European commitments with a second appearance in the Portuguese Cup final.

The Blues travel to Lisbon for the first leg of their round of 32 tie on Wednesday with the return leg taking place at Kingsmeadow a week later.

Those matches are going to be historic occasions for Portuguese side Benfica who are currently enjoying their maiden adventure in the UEFA Women’s Champions League this season after being awarded a place in the competition by default following the abandonment of the 2019/2020 Campeonato Nacional Feminino campaign.

While The Eagles will be hoping to cause an upset by knocking English champions Chelsea out of the UEFA Women’s Champions League at their first hurdle, Luis Andrade’s side also have the small matter of a Portuguese Cup final to balance next weekend. Like the 2019/2020 Vitality Women’s FA Cup, the Portuguese equivalent was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic but Benfica have qualified for the final upon it’s continuation and they will now face two-time runners-up Braga.

Benfica are the current holders of the trophy after defeating Valadares Gaia 4-0 in last season’s final, their first Portuguese Cup final success in their one-and-a-half year history. Almost 18 months on and The Eagles are looking to replicate the achievements of league rivals Futebol Benfica and Sporting Lisbon in lifting the trophy in consecutive seasons.

Since their formation in 2017, the rise of Benfica has been rapid and virtually unstoppable but over the course of the coming days, the Portuguese club face challenges on a new level which will undoubtedly test just how far the club have come. The biggest clubs in Europe can balance hectic schedules which include sequences of big matches and that is the task which awaits Andrade’s ever-improving Benfica side as they look to take another step forward in their journey.