Wednesday's match will bring together two clubs that started the 2012/13 campaign in the Champions League, but inconsistent performances led them to the knockout stage of the Europa League. After eliminating Bayer Leverkusen, Bordeaux, Newcastle, Fenerbahce, Sparta Prague, Steaua, Rubin Kazan and Basel along the way, Benfica and Chelsea will now meet at the Amsterdam Arena to decide the ultimate prize.
The journey to Amsterdam was not easy for either side, but after 16 matches, 29 goals scored, 16 conceded, three cleansheets, 11 victories, two draws and three defeats, these two sides will be more than ready to leave it all on the pitch for the Europa League title.
Chelsea booked their place in the final having eliminated Basel with an aggregate score of 5-2 in favor of the London side. A David Luiz free kick late in the match gave Rafa Benitez's side a 1-2 lead to take back to Stamford Bridge for the second leg.
Now on their home turf, David Luiz gave the Chelsea supporters another moment of brilliance after bending a stunning left footed shot into the top corner of the Basel goal, all but confirming Chelsea's presence in the final.
Benfica's final match to get to the final in Amsterdam was not as easy to predict, but if anything, it will go down as one of the most entertaining matches of the tournament.
Needing to bounce back from a 1-0 defeat in Istanbul, Jorge Jesus still remained confident of his sides chances of making it to the final. An early goal from Nico Gaitan had Benfica fans believing that the comeback would be possible.
A controversial penalty kick in favor of Fenerbahce took some confidence out of the Benfica players, but no need to worry, Oscar Cardozo came to the rescue as he scored twice to send Benfica through to a European Final after 23 years.
Benfica Is Up Against History & Bela Guttmann's Curse
After winning back to back European Titles with Benfica, Bela Guttmann had asked for a pay increase, but the Lisbon side quickly turned down that request. The Hungarian manager and Benfica's front office had a falling out, leading to him leaving the club.
Preparing himself to walk away, Guttmann left behind words that at the time did not have much importance, but many years later, Guttmann's statement stands as a curse that the Águias have yet to break.
"Benfica without me will never again win the European Cup," were Guttmann's final words. Unfortunately for the Portuguese side, those words have haunted them in the six European Final matches they have played in since. Six winless matches that actually led Eusebio to visit Guttmann's grave in 1990.
Their last final came in 1990 as they took on AC Milan in Vienna, which was not very far from where Guttmann was laid to rest. Eusebio took some time out of his day to visit Guttmann where he prayed for forgiveness and asked the gods to lift the curse, but up until now, it has yet to happen.
On Wednesday, Benfica will return to the city where they last lifted the European title. In front of 61,257 spectators at the Olympisch Stadion, Eusebio and his teammates overcame an early 0-2 deficit to defeat Puskás and his Real Madrid. That would be the last time Benfica enjoyed European glory, but since dropping into the Europa League Knockout Stage, Benfica fans have been hopeful that a return to the same city could help lift Guttmann's curse.
Two Players To Watch
Between the two clubs, there are a number of different connections. David Luiz and Ramires were both transferred to Stamford Bridge, while Nemanja Matic was part of the David Luiz deal. At the time, the inclusion of Matic did not appear to be anything all that impressive, but after taking part in his first full season as a starter, the Serbian has really proven to be a top class player.
Matic - Last season he played second fiddle to a midfield composed by Javi Garcia and Axel Witsel, two players who have since moved on. Coming into the team as a starter and having to fill the shoes of two players who were fan favorites was not going to be easy, but the former Chelsea player has managed to help Benfica fans forget about their two former midfielders.
His ability to read the game and anticipate plays before they happen are two of his strong points. On Wednesday, Jorge Jesus' side will need Matic to once again be at his best, just as he has been all season. Breaking down a strong and creative Chelsea midfield will not be easy, but the Serbian midfielder has shown that he can compete with some of Europe's elite.
Fernando Torres - The Spanish striker has not been as influential as he was at Liverpool, but since Rafa Benitez came into the picture, El Nino has slowly started to show glimpses of what he did at Anfield. His pace and ability to get in behind defenders was his strong point while operating in front of Steven Gerrard. Now he has to compete with Demba Ba for a starting role, and behind him are a number of very talented midfielders, but they too want to get on the scoresheet.
Despite all the obstacles and criticism, Torres is Chelsea's leading scorer in the Europa League this season. With five goals thus far, he has one more than Victor Moses, but he will likely get the start on Wednesday night. He will go up against a Benfica team that he already played against on a number of occasions while with Liverpool and Chelsea. His goal scoring instincts will be important for Chelsea, but most of all, he will need to occupy open space in order to allow Juan Mata and his fellow midfielders to get forward and cause problems for the Benfica defenders.
What To Expect
Realistically, this match could go either way. This is Chelsea's only title hope for the 2012/13 campaign, while Benfica still has a chance to claim two other titles besides this one. With the Portuguese League coming down to the last match, Benfica will be wanting to forget their defeat against Porto. A victory on Wednesday would not only lift the team emotionally, but it would also put to rest Bela Guttmann's statement.
Chelsea's experience throughout the squad and coaching staff will play a big role in this match. Having been on Europe's biggest stage last season at the Allianz Arena, they now return, but for a different piece of silverware.
Both sides have scored in every match with the exception of one. Benfica failed to score against Fenerbahce in a 1-0 defeat, while Chelsea was held scoreless in Bucharest against Steaua where they lost 1-0 as well. Other than that match, the Lisbon side is averaging 1.75 goals per match from their eight Europa League matches. Rafa's side has a slightly better average, 1.87, given they scored one more goal than Benfica in the competition. Defensively, Benfica has only conceded seven goals, two better than Chelsea's nine conceded.
Expectations will be set high considering both these sides came from the Champions League, and looking at their road to Amsterdam, it should be an outstanding match to watch. With both sides averaging over a goal per match, it would not be shocking to see at least two goals in this match, possibly even three.
Who do you think will win Wednesday's match and who can be the deciding factor?
