18 October 2021, 16:44 | 28 August 2021, 15:29
The UEFA Champions League Group E fixture, S.L. Benfica vs. F.C. Bayern Munich, kicks off at 20:00 (GMT+1) on Wednesday, October 20 at the Estádio da Luz. Referee Ovidiu Haţegan (ROU) will be in charge while the assistant referees, Radu Ghinguleac (ROU) and Sebastian Gheorghe (ROU), will lend a helping hand. Pol van Boekel (NED) will be at the controls in the VAR room.
Preview Benfica Champions League, Oct 20, 2021
Preview S.L. Benfica sits in 2nd place in Group E with 4 points, two points adrift of first-placed Bayern Munich after 1W, 1D & 0L, following the comfortable 3-0 win over ten-men Barcelona on UCL Matchday 2. Darwin Núñez (3’ & 79’ P.) bagged a brace with the help of a penalty ten minutes after Rafa Silva (69’) struck for Benfica’s second. Over the weekend, the Portuguese outfit defeated C.D. Trofense in a third-round fixture of the Taça de Portugal, 2-1. Benfica returns to Champions League action with only one defeat in five games across all competitions: WWWLW. Manager Jorge Jesus will aim for a point on Wednesday, knowing it would take something short of a miracle to defeat the German champions who have a haul of 8 goals in two games, an average of 4 goals per 90 minutes in the UEFA Champions League. - Citing Matchday 1’s 3-0 thrashing of Barcelona before taking the wheels off Dynamo Kyiv in a comfortable 5-0 home win. Three at the back is expected once again from the 67-year-old, Jorge Jesus, fashioned into the 3—4—3 formation with Roman Yaremchuk serving as the focal point in attack. Yaremchuk could be flanked by David Nunez and Rafa Silva. However, the availability of Rafa Silva remains in doubt, having failed to feature for Benfica over the weekend. Swiss center-forward, Haris Seferovic, remains in doubt for this fixture due to a muscle injury.
Preview FC Bayern München Champions League, Oct 20, 2021
Preview Bayern Munich will make their return to the star-studded circle of champions after Sunday’s 5-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga. Left with only one loss in five games across all competitions: WWWLW, Bayern Munich sits at the top of Group E with 6 points and a G.D. of +8 after resounding back-to-back UEFA Champions League victories: 2W, 0D, & 0L. The German champions are the joint-highest scorers in this season's group stage, on par with Liverpool and a defeat to Benfica looks unlikely. In addition, Bayern has lost only twice to Portuguese opposition (17W, 9D, & 2L). As expected, Nagelsmann’s 4—2—3—1 formation saw Lewandowski in attack ahead of the familiar trio consisting of Thomas Müller, Leroy Sane, and Serge Gnabry over the weekend. The European Golden Shoe winner (2020/21) and Ballon d'Or (2021) nominee, Lewandowski (3’ & 30’) bagged a brace at the weekend in Bayern’s 5-1 win over Leverkusen. Kingsley Coman returned in that game as a second-half substitute following minor heart surgery, while Corentin Tolisso was available on the bench. Alphonso Davies was taken off five minutes before half-time on Sunday due to a thigh injury and remains in doubt for this fixture.