Benfica boss Bruno Lage has singled out two key Chelsea players for praise ahead the Club World Cup last 16 tie.
The former Wolves boss is now in charge of Benfica who made it through to the knockout stages after wins against Auckland City and Bayern Munich.
Despite their impressive campaign thus far, the Portuguese club are significant underdogs heading into tonight’s game in north Carolina.
Lage is well aware of the threat Chelsea pose, particularly in attack with his compatriot, Pedro Neto, enjoying a fine tournament.
Benfica will also come face-to-face with their former star, Enzo Fernandez, who has grown in stature over the course of the last six months, in particular, after a tough start to his Chelsea career.
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‘There was actually a rumour before Enzo came to Chelsea that he was going to join me at Wolves, so that was funny,’ said Lage at his pre-match press conference.
‘In terms of money, Chelsea have one of the best midfielders in the world.
‘But the player I really know is Pedro Neto. He’s one of the best wingers in the world. He’s so dangerous because he can go either way on the ball.’
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, meanwhile, expects Fernandez to get even better as he prepares for a reunion with his former club Benfica.
The 24-year-old scored in the opening win over Los Angeles FC and created two goals in as many minutes as the Blues beat Esperance Tunis 3-0 in their final group game on Tuesday.
Maresca told reporters at his pre-match press conference: ‘I’m very pleased with Enzo, especially because, first of all, he’s a nice boy. He’s polite, he’s a good boy.
‘Then he’s worked very well in all aspects inside the pitch, outside the pitch. Our struggle at the beginning was (for him) to understand the way we want to play.
‘But he is doing fantastic in terms of numbers, goal assists. This is what we want from our attacking players.
‘I’ve said many times that I prefer to have the attacking players score 10-12 goal each, rather than just a striker with 40 goals.
‘So his contribution this season has been top and I am sure next season will be even better.’
Despite that, Fernandez could face competition for his place after Maresca suggested he sees Brazilian Andrey Santos more as an attacking player than a defensive one.
The highly-rated 21-year-old has rejoined the club this summer after a successful loan spell at Strasbourg and made his debut as a second-half substitute against Esperance.
Maresca said: “His season has been very good but I think you need time to adapt.
“In terms of position, I see Andrey in this moment in more like Enzo’s position than Romeo’s (Lavia) position.
“The Premier League demands (players) to be physically strong. In this moment, I see Andrey more of an attacking player than defensive in the field.”