Benfica were one of the great revelations of the last Champions League. No one expected the Lusitanians to be among the continent’s top eight teams after they snatched qualification for the knockout phase by ousting none other than Barcelona. Then the feat with Ajax in the round of 16, as underdogs, which allowed them to challenge Klopp and Salah’s Liverpool in the quarters. With the Reds, future finalists, there was no history, but in Lisbon they rejoiced all the same for that absolutely unexpected placement. It came, incidentally, in a complicated season, conditioned by the change in the bench between Jorge Jesus and Nelson Verissimo.
Yes, because if in the Champions League Benfica did wonders, in the championship they disappointed, leaving the title fight early and finishing third behind Porto and Sporting CP. Having finished on the last step of the podium, today the Encarnados are forced to pass through the ‘jungle’ of the preliminaries to qualify for the group stage of the most important continental event. On the bench there is no longer the ferryman Verissimo, but former Psv Roger Schmidt, who has already passed through these parts and is back from an excellent season in Holland.
Benfica orphaned of Darwin Nunez, bought from Liverpool for 80 million, but with the interesting ex Ajax external player David Neres and the Argentine Fernandez. The Portuguese side’s first obstacle are the Danes of Midtjylland, a less dangerous team than two years ago, when they managed to reach the group stage. They struggled to overcome Cypriots Aek Larnaca in the second round, but on the last day of the Superligaen they redeemed themselves by outclassing Odense 5-1 and taking their first three points in the league.
Sviatchenko of Midtjylland ©️Ansafoto
The match between Benfica and Midtjylland, scheduled for Tuesday at 21:00 and valid for the first leg of the third qualifying round of the Champions League, will not be broadcast live on TV or streaming in Italy. No platform, satellite or streaming, has bought the rights to the preliminary round of Europe’s top competition.
The prediction
Schimdt’s Benfica are coming off a glittering pre-season, in which they have had nothing but victories, some of them against the likes of Nice, Fulham and Newcastle. They will obviously start as favourites against Midtjylland as well, aiming to mortgage qualification already in a nearly sold-out Da Luz. The Danes are unlikely to avoid defeat, but considering their offensive mentality they should be able to score at least one goal in Lisbon.
Benfica-Midtjylland
likely line-ups
BENFICA (4-2-3-1): Vlachodimos; Gilberto, Otamendi, Vertonghen, Grimaldo; Fernandez, Weigl; Neres, Ramos, H. Araujo; Musa.
MIDTJYLLAND (3-4-3): Olafsson; Dalsgaard, Sviatchenko, Juninho; Andersson, Onyedika, Charles, Paulinho; Chilufya, Dreyer, Isaksen.
