Chelsea face his 16th and final European game of the season, with silverware at stake at Amsterdam and Blues have the chance to join a genuinely elite group of clubs this evening but may have to show all the hunger and determination of last season's Champions League triumph to achieve it.

Here's hoping it is fourth time lucky for silverware this season after defeat in the Community Shield, UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Victory would put the Stamford Bridge club on the same pedestal as Bayern Munich, Juventus and Ajax, whose stadium hosts tonight's showpiece. The Pensioners would stand alongside those greats as the fourth club to win all three of UEFA's major trophies. If the UEFA Super Cup is added, the current coterie is reduced to just Juve and Ajax. Also a Chelsea victory will ensure we are the first club ever to be holders simultaneously of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

The Londoners could also become the first team to win the two main UEFA trophies in reverse order - José Mourinho's Porto were the last team to win them in successive seasons (UEFA Cup in 2002/03 and UEFA Champions League in 2003/04).
The 65cm high, Italian-designed trophy, a handle-less silver cup with a yellow marble plinth, is the old UEFA Cup, first lifted in 1972.

Fernando Torres faces his second european final as a club player, after the success of the last season on UEFA Champions League. It’s a new chance to take Blues to a title with crucial strikes. He has already done it this season on the road to Amsterdam, scoring on three of the four rounds played by Chelsea. Five goals in eight matches makes the Spaniard the top scorer of the team in the competition -also he is of the whole season with 21 to his name-. He will try to do it again on the final game, as he has done it before for Spanish National Team. Torres has won every European he has played, for Spain and Chelsea: one Champions League, two Euro Cups, one Under-19 Euro and one Under-16 Euro. In three of this four finals his goal has been decisive.

Torres has been a piece of the starting eleven on all of the eight games played by Chelsea in the Europa League this season. His goals to Steaua Bucharest, Rubin Kazan (3) and FC Basel helped the team to reach the final stage. Also the Chelsea’s number nine has good stats against Portuguese rivals Benfica. He has played four times in Europa League against the Red Eagles, winning three and losing only one. Two goals and one assist make bigger his great performance, also being crucial for Liverpool and Chelsea to go through next round.

This is Chelsea's 11th final in the 10 years of the Roman Abramovich era - the 12th if you include this season's Super Cup - and our fifth European final overall. It is Benfica's ninth European final but their first in 23 years; they were defeated in their last six.

After a magnificent start to the new year the Eagles have hit a rocky patch, registering just three wins in their last eight matches in all competitions. They have won once in four away trips (courtesy of a penalty and a Marítimo player's own goal) and have not won on the road in their last two Europa League matches, at Newcastle (1-1) and Fenerbahçe (0-1).

However, Chelsea's away victory at Basel in the semi-final was the team's first since Prague in February.

Never the less Benfica's untimely dip was emphasised on Saturday night at the home of title rivals Porto. In a dramatic conclusion to the title showdown at the Dragao, Kelvin struck a winner for Vitor Pereira's side in the 93rd minute.

This was a big psychological blow. Eagles coach Jorge Jesus sank to his knees on the turf not just because Porto now lead the SuperLiga by one point before the final match this weekend, but because it foretold his side's first league defeat of the season.

Last season's runners-up are desperate to win back the title they last claimed in 2009/10 but also contest the Portuguese Cup final against Vitória Guimarães in 10 days' time.

In contrast Chelsea have hit the best form for some time and the win at Aston Villa - only the third there in 15 visits - virtually guaranteed a Champions League finish, clearing the decks for tonight's final.

The main headlines were written by Frank Lampard securing his place in Chelsea history as all-time record goalscorer, reaching 203. It is a remarkable achievement for any player, let alone a midfielder, and so many of them have been crucial ones. Frank has now struck 14 against Aston Villa - more than any opponent. Very many congratulations again to him.

(On the goals theme, our winner at Old Trafford was officially attributed to Juan Mata on Monday by a Premier League committee.)

The win in the Midlands did come at the cost of two casualties, though. John Terry and Eden Hazard both had to be helped off the field of play and Hazard won't face Benfica. The captain is to have a late fitness test. At least no one is suspended this time for the Blues. Terry, Branislav Ivanovic, Ramires and Raul Meireles missed out on last season's showpiece.
The Portuguese have already seen off English opposition in this competition, beating Demba Ba's old club Newcastle United 3-1 at home, thanks to goals from Rodrigo, Lima and Cardozo. They drew the second leg 1-1 at St James' Park through a stoppage-time strike by Eduardo Sálvio.

Our opponents in the semi-finals, Basel, had previously knocked Tottenham out of the competition after a penalty shootout.
If involved, Nathan Ake could become the youngest Europa League champion to date, and Frank Lampard the oldest.

The Portuguese were drawn as the nominal home side for tonight's match, but of course there is no colour clash with the Encarnardos' (Reds') kit. Both finalists joined the Europa League having come third in their Champions League groups. Benfica finished behind Barcelona and Celtic.

The Amsterdam Arena has staged one previous UEFA final in 1998 in the Champions League between Real Madrid and Juventus. It was also used for Euro 2000. The capacity for UEFA matches is 51,800.

If the scorers are level after 90 minutes extra-time will be played and, if necessary, penalties.

Chelsea have won three of our last five penalty shoot-outs, the last being at the Allianz Arena in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich.

Benfica have featured in just two penalty shoot-outs in Europe, winning their most recent against PAOK Salonika in the 1999/00 UEFA Cup second round, and losing the other in the 1988 European Cup final against PSV Eindhoven.