Benfica will defend the 2-0 lead obtained in the first leg Club Bruges as a local, this Tuesday. The Portuguese club will thus try to reach the quarter-finals of the European tournament for the second consecutive season, while the Belgians want to hit the road and make an epic comeback. The match starts at 17:00, broadcast by ESPN, directed by Halil Umut Meler (Turkey) and will be played at the Estádio Da Luz.
Similarly, in a moment of high-level and facing an overwhelmed rival, Benfica find themselves in a situation that puts them with one foot in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. There are few teams in Europe that are in better shape than this one Benfica, unbeaten in 12 games in all competitions and having won 10 of those matches, including the last four and eight of the last nine.
Furthermore, they have not lost even in the group stage of the Champions League, leave earlier in a key in which they faced Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus. They also lead the local tournament by eight points over their closest rival.
Moreover, Bruges have barely managed two wins in their last eleven games since England manager Scott Parker took over in December.
His crisis it took a turn for the worse when they lost 3-0 at relegation-risk Belgian league opponents Oostende on Friday. This prompted fans to call the players to account and Parker acknowledged that he could be fired.
During the group stage, the Belgian champions surprised by ending up accompanying Porto and especially Bayer Leverkusen and Atlético de Madrid. They advanced to the knockout stage for the first time in 10 attempts.
One piece of information that does not accompany Bruges from the previous one is that Benfica have been eliminated just three times in 31 attempts after winning the first leg. One such defeat to Liverpool in last season’s quarter-final conceit, which saw them kicked out of the competition in the quarter-finals.
possible formations
Benfica: Odyssey Vlachodimos; Alexander Bah, António Silva, Nicolás Otamendi, Alejandro Grimaldo; Fredrik Aursnes, Florentino Luis; João Mário, Rafa Silva, David Neres; Goncalo Ramos.
Witches: Simone Mignolet; Clinton Mata, Brandon Mechele, Abakar Sylla, Bjorn Meijer; Raphael Onyedika, Denis Odoi; Tahin Buchanan, Hans Vanaken, Noa Lang; Ferran Jutgla.
Timetables: 17
television: ESPN and Stella+
Referee: Halil Umut Meler (Turkey)
Stadium: Da Luz Stadium
Source: Clarin
Jason Root is the go-to source for sports coverage at News Rebeat. With a passion for athletics and an in-depth knowledge of the latest sports trends, Jason provides comprehensive and engaging analysis of the world of sports.