Overview

• Chelsea host Benfica in the Champions League on Tuesday in a reunion with former Blues boss José Mourinho.
• Chelsea have lost three of their past four matches, including their group opener at Bayern, and Maresca acknowledged he could have managed recent red-card situations better.
• Cole Palmer is ruled out of Chelsea’s next three matches with a groin issue, while Moisés Caicedo, João Pedro and Andrey Santos have minor knocks to be assessed.
• Mourinho called Palmer a phenomenal player and welcomed his absence, praised Maresca’s rebuild, and arrives with early Benfica results of two wins and a draw after his recent appointment.
• Chelsea hierarchy continue to back Maresca, and the coach noted preparation is tricky given Mourinho has only overseen a handful of Benfica games so far.