S.L. Benfica

Portuguese Liga champions Benfica earned themselves a shock 2-1 win at home to Juventus on Thursday evening in the Europa League semi-final first leg, and they are now daring to dream of avenging last season’s disappointing loss in the 2013 Europa League final to Chelsea. So how did Benfica pull it off? And what did Juventus do wrong against them?

Stats taken from BBC Sport, WhoScored.com, Statto and FoxSports.com.

Starting Strongly

Benfica manager Jorge Jesus set up his side, as he always does, to hit teams hard on the break with pace down the flanks. It paid dividends, as Benfica overloaded in the wide areas to full effect against the Serie A champions-elect. 

Juventus have been advocates of a 3-5-2 formation and lined up with it once again against the Portuguese outfit. The opening 15 minutes saw the tactic failing horribly, as Benfica were taking advantage of Juve’s lack of support in the wide areas. As you can see, Juventus' wing-back is getting drawn in to press the ball, which leaves space into which the Benfica forward can run.

Their bright start led to their opening goal. Juve were forced to concede a corner following a Benfica break, which led to defender Ezequiel Garay's header.

Pressing Juventus High Up the Pitch

The Portuguese side did their homework on Juve’s penchant for playing the ball out of the back, pressing the Italian giants high up the pitch early to limit the time they had to pick out passes.

Chief orchestrator Andrea Pirlo found himself stifled at times, and he was ineffective from Benfica’s high pressing. That led to Juve having to play very direct from deep positions, which saw them frequently giving away the ball. The midfielder is being blocked off from receiving the pass from Kwadwo Asamoah in the shot, which meant he was largely ineffective.

With Juve not blessed with pace in the spine of their side, distribution is essential. In the picture, you can see there's no pass on for the Italian outfit to get forward. One of the Juve players is even offside. It summed up the opening passages of play until the Serie A holders started to settle.

Benfica’s Counter-Attacks Causing Juve Problems

Another deciding factor was Benfica's counter-attacks. The side would break with outstanding speed, and their runs would overlap either side of the ball to give options left and right of the player in possession. As Juve committed numbers to their own attack, the manner of Benfica's breaks meant they were forced to go player-for-player against the opposition, which left gaps to exploit.

Benfica continued to break with pace to try to find the important second goal in the game by hitting Juventus on the break in this manner. The lack of protection down the flanks for Juve meant sights such as this were a regular occurrence throughout the game.

It also meant Juve wing-backs Stephan Lichtsteiner and Asamoah became fearful of pushing high up the pitch, They knew they'd be caught out of position, as shown above.

Juventus Too Narrow on the Ball

For Juventus's 3-5-2 formation to be successful, the wing-backs have to support the play when they're in possession and overlap like natural wingers would. But such was the threat from their opponents on the break that they remained very deep. Asamoah, most notably, was barely in shot when the Italians had the ball in Benfica's half. That led to the play being very narrow and very predictable from the Serie A outfit.

Asamoah is being of no help to his side by sitting back. Juve were chasing the game and in need of a goal, but their play was easily snuffed out by Benfica. Had more players made runs from deep for the Italians, they could have attacked with more pace to create clear-cut openings.

Asamoah Finally Gambles and Gets an Assist

It was no coincidence that the one time Asamoah gambled and made a run beyond his opposite marker led to a goal following his cutback into the area. The 25-year-old was the highest player up the pitch for Juve on the left side, and with one touch, he picked out the advancing Carlos Tevez free in the area to score.

Benfica Overlap the Wide Areas to score Winning Goal

Juventus eventually threw the game away by not heeding the warning of Benfica's threat from wide areas.

A simple ball into the space in the middle of the pitch then saw the Benfica player follow his pass and run around the back of his teammate Enzo Perez on the right-hand side. His overlapping run wasn't picked up quick enough by any Juve player, and after collecting the pass, Perez plays the ball into the middle, it's cleverly dummied by substitute Ivan Cavaleiro, and eventually rifled home by the onrushing Lima to win the game for Benfica.

Summary

Benfica did their homework and knew what Juventus' weaknesses were. Cutting off the supply to their chief creator Andrea Pirlo and pressing the side high up the pitch to force them to go long played into the Portuguese side's hands. Jorge Jesus' men were fast on the break and specifically targeted the flanks. Juve had no protection from the wide men, as they weren't playing with natural wingers to aid the full-backs in defence.

It was Juve's first defeat in the Europa League this season, while Benfica now have a slim lead to take into the second leg of the semi-final.

Benfica centre-back Ezequiel Garay is "close to agreeing a deal" with Manchester United, per James Nursey at the Mirror, so could Garay be replaced by Stefan Mitrovic? To cover that scenario, here is a scouting report on Mitrovic, Benfica's 23-year-old Serbian centre-back, who is currently on loan at La Liga club Real Valladolid. 

Positives

Mitrovic is a 6'3", 181-pound centre-back with the prototypical physical build to succeed in top-flight European football. 

He is a left-footer who starts as a left-sided centre-back for Valladolid manager Juan Ignacio Martinez.

League Only	With Mitrovic	Without Mitrovic
Games	10	21
Goals Conceded	13	37
Goals Conceded Per Game	1.3	1.8

Valladolid concede 0.5 less goals when Mitrovic is in the line-up and he has become a pivotal member of Martinez's side.

Mitrovic's gain is Marc Valiente's loss.

Valiente, who was ousted from his centre-back job, has been forced to be the good soldier, only starting two games at centre-back since Valladolid signed Mitrovic on loan from Benfica in the 2014 January transfer window.

Valiente sat on the bench against Getafe (0-0 draw), Elche (2-2 draw), Levante (1-1 draw) and Real Sociedad (1-0 defeat).

When Valiente has started, he has been played out of position at right-back (1-1 draw vs. Rayo Vallecano) and as a defensive midfielder (4-1 defeat vs. Sevilla). 

So what led to Valiente losing his starting position? 

Take away the 4-1 defeat to Sevilla, Valladolid have only conceded nine goals in nine games with Mitrovic as a starter.

It is a monumental increase in defensive proficiency for Valladolid, a team that have less points (30) than games played (31) in La Liga. 

This is why Martinez made the tough call to drop Valiente from starting centre-back to a backup centre-back/emergency fill-in. 

Mitrovic reads and reacts well when it comes to making successful clearances under pressure.

• 14-for-14 against Villarreal (1-0 win), per Squawka.com.
  
• 13-for-13 against Getafe (0-0 draw), per Squawka.com.
• 3-for-3 against Barcelona (1-0 win), per Squawka.com.

When you watch Mitrovic take the ball out of defence, like nonchalantly dribbling past Real Sociedad central attacking midfielder Sergio Canales, it is clear Mitrovic is not flustered when pressed by opposing players. 

With Valladolid staving off relegation, Mitrovic has often been called into action in precarious situations.

He successfully blocked Rayo central attacking midfielder Alberto Bueno from shooting on goal after a defensive breakdown resulted in Bueno being in acres of space inside Valladolid's penalty box. 

Against Levante, the score was 1-1 in the 90th minute with super-sub Nabil El Zhar dribbling towards Valladolid goalkeeper Diego Marino.

But Mitrovic came to the rescue, shepherding El Zhar away from goal and forcing him to shoot at an acute angle, resulting in an innocuous shot attempt. 

Negatives

Mitrovic has the capability to dictate play from the back, but he needs to improve his long-pass completion percentage (55.7). 

If you take out his long passes, his pass completion percentage increases from 81.1 to 87, so he is an excellent short-to-intermediate passer. 

It is just the turnovers when making more expansive passes which are holding him back from a passing perspective. 

Another concern with Mitrovic is his inefficient tackles (10) to fouls (11) ratio.

Why?

He commits challenges where there is no leeway for him to escape conceding a free-kick. 

Two such examples were when he obstructed Barca deep-lying forward Lionel Messi and tripping up Rayo right attacking midfielder Ruben Rochina (on loan from Blackburn Rovers). 

Bottom Line

Mitrovic is on course to be the latest scouting revelation from Benfica.

During the 2011 January transfer window, Benfica sold David Luiz to Chelsea for £21.3 million and Nemanja Matic, per BBC Sport. 

In July 2011, Benfica bought 50 percent of Garay's playing rights from Real Madrid for €5.5 (£4.6) million, per InsideSpanishFootball.com. 

Fast-forward to 2014, Benfica might sell the in-demand Garay and replace him with the €1.1 million (£910,000) valued Mitrovic. 

If Mitrovic continues to improve, in several years' time he could be another example of Benfica turning a no-namer into a star and selling him to a major club at an inflated transfer fee. 

@allanjianga

+allanjiang

Statistics via WhoScored

After the first leg of their Europa League semifinal was settled by the slenderest of margins, much was asked, ahead of round two, about Benfica’s approach to the contest, and whether their fabled attacking prowess and famed home support would carry them to the Europa League final, Chelsea, and Amsterdam.

This evening’s triumph took a great deal of endeavour; be under no illusion.

After surviving the first leg in Turkey and the partisan support at Istanbul’s Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, the onus was on Benfica to rise to the occasion and repay the delirious confidence of their home supporters and hit the ground running.

They did just that.

From the first whistle, the home side were lightning; they hustled and hassled their opponents, preventing the visitors from settling, greeting their every touch with a rasping tackle and controlling the contest from tip to toe.

Their reward was not long in coming, and on nine minutes Nicolas Gaitan capitalised on Fener’s hesitancy to open the scoring—securing a genuine poacher’s goal after good work from Lima.

Often, when a team plays at such a high tempo, intending to thrust the opposition into disarray, their own game can suffer, and they can struggle to find the rhythm and the composure that comes more easily in relaxed confines.

Not so Benfica, they were unruffled by their own urgency, relishing in the position of dominant pace-setters and clearly keen to put the tie to bed.

What happened next was not part of the script.

A loose ball dropping down inside the home side’s box caught Ezequiel Garay—Benfica’s outstanding centre-back—unawares, and he knew little about the handball he was summarily accused of.

Dirk Kuyt dispatched the resulting penalty with aplomb, and all of a sudden, Benfica’s erstwhile bravado and swashbuckling ferocity was in danger of dissipating.

While weaker sides might have turned to the touchline and appealed to their manager—in this instance the expressive Jorge Jesus—Benfica rallied in the face of adversity, wiping the setback like sweat from their brow, and soon returning dutifully to the task they had been dealt.

Now requiring two goals, they barely looked anything like under the kind of pressure that surely must have been heaped upon them. Oscar Cardozo, more than anyone, decided that he wasn’t in any mood to let the prospect of a European final pass him by, and he set out to reduce arrears.

He may be one footed—painfully so if tonight was anything to go by—but wow, what a foot that is, and Eagles supporters may well be toasting Cardozo’s left for many evenings to come following this evening’s escapades.

With six in eight in the Europa League, he is one of the competition’s top marksmen, and tonight was a delicious example of why he is so sought after and revered in various quarters of the continent.

First, he fired home after some sterling work from Enzo Perez before the second half brought relief, and demonstrating the agility of a gymnast and the clinical reactions of a poacher, he kept his nerve to send Benfica home—his second, his team’s third, coming on 66 minutes.

The set-back had been merely that, a set-back, and imbued by self-belief, driven by the choral magnitude of the Estadio da Luz, Benfica forged their pathway to a first continental final since 1990—their European Cup defeat to Milan.

Come the 15^th of May, they will find themselves pitted against Chelsea in a replay of last year’s Champions League quarterfinal. Few teams have built their recent success on character quite like the Blues over the last decade or so, and as the likes of John Terry and Frank Lampard come to the end of their storied sojourn at the Bridge, Benfica can expect to receive every ounce of the intensity and determination they offer.

While last night football talk was dominated by the prospect of Jose Mourinho’s return to the club where he found such glorious success, Rafa Benitez will be thrilled that his players have managed to draw the spotlight back to the club’s contemporary successes and the unloved manager that has guided them to another European final.

The Spaniard has pedigree in this competition—having won it with Valencia back in 2004—and will surely be confident of claiming it once again, with Chelsea. I imagine that Jorge Jesus and his Portuguese warriors will be keen to prove Rafa wrong. This evening’s battle with Fenerbahce certainly suggests they have the character to spoil the Pensioners’ evening.

Benfica has advanced to the 2013 Europa League final after a 3-1 win over Fenerbahce. The Portuguese side won the semifinal with an aggregate score of 3-2.

This was shaping up to be the much more intriguing Europa League semifinal. The Estadio da Luz is one of the few real cauldrons left in Europe. Benfica has only lost one match at home all season, to Barcelona in the Champions League. Despite Fenerbahce's one-goal lead, you knew Benfica had a great chance to make the final.

It didn't take long for Benfica to erase the deficit. In the ninth minute, Lima got some space on the right wing and delivered in a low cross to Nicolas Gaitan. The Argentine midfielder hit it beautifully with his right foot as the ball floated in off the left post. It was a wonderfully controlled finish.

Overall, in the early going, Benfica was able to go very much out on the attack. The opening goal obviously helped things along. The Portuguese side was able to impose its will on the match and clearly looked the stronger side.

Things unraveled a bit in the 22nd minute. Ezequiel Garay was judged to have handled the ball in the box. The replays showed that he had clearly touched the ball, but the Benfica players were arguing that it was ball-to-hand rather than hand-to-ball. Benfica's protests were all for naught as Dirk Kuyt stepped up and slotted the penalty kick into the bottom left corner.

Infostrada Sports has an interesting stat regarding Kuyt's performance in Europe this season:

Dirk Kuyt scores 5th AWAY goal in European competitions this season (incl. qualifying). Only Cristiano Ronaldo (8) has scored more.#cr7

— Gracenote Live (@GracenoteLive) May 2, 2013

That away goal was crucial as it meant Benfica needed to score at least three goals if it had any chance of advancing.

Fenerbahce began to drop back and protect its lead. That only allowed Benfica to continue getting on the attack and trying to overturn the 2-1 aggregate deficit.

Following the goal, and for much of the match, the official did little to help Benfica. There were at least three possible penalty opportunities, as Planet Benfica points out, and none were given:

Handball in the area and referee gives nothing. This is the third shout Benfica have claimed. When you see Garay's, why not this one??

— Planet Benfica (@planetbenfica) May 2, 2013

Deciding it had enough of leaving it up to the official, Benfica just went ahead and scored. In the 35th minute, Oscar Cardozo found himself with space inside the 18-yard-box. As the most lethal finisher on the pitch, Cardozo had no problem striking a well-placed shot into the right side of the net.

It was an appalling bit of defense by Fenerbahce as it lost track of a player like Cardozo and gave him the space to score.

The match then fell into a lull as Benfica struggled to break down the Fenerbahce back four.

There was a scary moment in the 57th minute as Gokhan Gonul took a high boot from Gaitan. There was a long ball sent in near the goal line that Gonul tried to head clear, but Gaitan came flying in to try and keep the ball alive. He connected with Gonul's head, and the right-back fell motionless to the pitch. Players on both teams immediately called for the medical staff. Gonul was eventually carted off.

Eurosport.com was right on top of it after Gonul's injury and rightfully gave credit to the defender for not backing away from the challenge:

Gonul bravely wins header for Fenerbahce, but has been knocked after Gaitan caught him in face. Stretchered off http://t.co/oi2faRb78w

— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) May 2, 2013

Almost 10 minutes later, the match was shot back into life. It was Cardozo again who found himself with space in the box to put Benfica up 3-1 in the match. This was a pivotal goal as it meant the club would be through to the final.

There wasn't much in the goal. It came off a throw-in, and Fenerbahce failed to clear it out. Eventually, Cardozo had the ball, and it was an easy finish.

After that, it continued to be all Benfica. Fenerbahce tried to throw as much forward as possible, but it simply didn't have the weapons to make its attacking movements count.

Benfica now has a chance to win its first European title since 1962. Following that title, manager Bela Guttmann supposedly cursed the club for the next 100 years upon his exit. The Portuguese side will have a great opportunity to break that curse when it meets Chelsea in the Europa League final on May 15.

Player Grades

Oscar Cardozo: A

Cardozo was simply sublime in front of goal. He finished off his best chances in the match, and that's exactly what you'd want from a striker like him.

OptaJoe noted only Radamel Falcao as a better goalscoring record in the Europa League:

18 - Since the Europa League was rebranded in 2009/10, only Falcao (30) has scored more goals in it than Oscar Cardozo (18). Academic.

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 2, 2013

Nicolas Gaitan: A-

The goal from Gaitan was a nice piece of class. He made what was a difficult finish look so easy. Gaitan was one of Benfica's best attackers going forward. He was constantly trying to set up his teammates to score.

The foul on Gonul was unfortunate, and there was no intent to injure. He fouled Gonul, but that was all there was to it.

Joseph Yobo: B-

Joseph Yobo was a rock at the back for much of the match. He and Egemen Korkmaz were the two biggest reasons why Fenerbahce was able to keep Benfica out of the box for as long as it did. It wasn't a matter of keeping the Portuguese side off the board but rather stopping a flood of goals.

Unfortunately, it was Yobo largely to blame for the Cardozo goal. He lost track of the striker and was badly out of position to try and make any play on the ball.

Dirk Kuyt: B+

Fenerbahce was missing a lot of key offensive players. You don't want to leave much of the attacking burden on a guy like Kuyt, but that's exactly what the Turkish club was forced to do.

Kuyt was his usual workman-like self. You always know what you're getting when it comes to a player like Kuyt. He did well to score the penalty to give Fenerbahce the aggregate advantage.

After an engrossing first leg in Turkey, Fenerbahce take a 1-0 victory to Lisbon and to the Estadio da Luz as they and Benfica compete for a place in the Europa League final.

Egemen Korkmaz scored the only goal of the game last week as the Yellow Canaries scored first blood in this tense semifinal. Despite eventually taking the victory, Fenerbahce may well regret not having made more of their many chances—in failing to capitalise on their dominance they may have left the door open for Benfica to stage a comeback.

Benfica Team News

The defeat was only the third in an impressive campaign for Benfica, and their first since October. They are unlikely to be fazed by their first leg defeat, and they will be confident that they can overcome the outstanding deficit.

Nonetheless, there will still be pressure on the team, who have identified the Europa League as a major target for the season. For a side that has played so well and delivered such high-quality performances throughout the year, failure to progress could have devastating consequences.

They still currently stand four points clear of Porto in the Portuguese top flight, but as has happened in the past, a demoralising cup exit can have far-reaching consequences.

The fact that the Eagles' only home defeat of the season came at the hands of Barcelona will doubtless give fans and players alike confidence, and Benfica could realistically continue their run of 13 unbeaten Europa League games at home.

There will doubtless be a terrific atmosphere at the Estadio da Luz when the two sides clash on Thursday evening. The home side will be aware that a repeat of the Istanbul scoreline would be hard for their fans to countenance, but there is a genuine belief that the Portuguese side have the ability to overcome Fenerbahce’s slender advantage.

They will be without dangerous Dutch-Liberian attacker Ola John, who is suspended, and will hope that fan favourite and Paraguayan danger-man Oscar Cardozo can make the difference between the two sides; perhaps adding to his six European strikes thus far this season, and scoring the goals that would send Benfica to Holland.

Fenerbahce Team News

Fenerbahce’s impressive away record in the Europa League this season belies the fact that the continental success of their compatriots is usually grounded upon home soil. Their record away from Turkey this season—of four wins and two draws—should give them cause for optimism as they head to Portugal.

While a high-tempo 1-0 victory was enough to give them the advantage as they departed the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, the partisan Estadio da Luz is likely to provide a test like few others they have faced this season.

Despite missing a penalty and failing to take a litany of delightful chances that were crafted by a terrifically competent midfield, Aykut Kocaman can take solace in his team’s performance. They were slightly disjointed, and have given themselves work to do, but they have a platform to build from and something to protect as they seek a spot in a first-ever continental final.

Mehmet ‘Spider’ Topal will be a major loss—often effective in a defensive midfield role, the defence are likely to be considerably more vulnerable in his absence. It will doubtless be a massive evening for Turkish international keeper Volkan Demirel who will once again need to rise to the occasion.

Cameroonian striker Pierre Webo struggled to find his rhythm in the first leg, and was ruled out of this contest after picking up a needless late yellow card. His absence will place a greater burden upon the physical prowess of Moussa Sow—the Senegalese forward has the capacity to steal the show on Thursday, and will doubtless be marshalled closely by the Benfica back line.

Prediction

Despite defeat away in Turkey, the Portuguese giants will be confident of victory in their own patch, particularly considering their prowess going forward. Their sterling home record, and the disjointed attacking display of Fener in the first leg should convince Jorge Jesus’s men that triumph—and a place in the final at the Amsterdam Arena—is within their grasp.

Writing that, however, I would not be surprised to say the Turkish heavyweights advance to the final. With a decent away record and an encouraging momentum, they will be confident that they can improve on their first leg finishing and make life difficult for the Eagles.

Benfica and Barcelona meet Tuesday in the second group game of the Champions League. Barcelona is currently top of the group after their comeback victory over Spartak Moscow at home, while Benfica played to a 0-0 draw against Celtic in their first game (via ESPN Soccernet).

While the Catalan side are certain favourites to go through to the knockout rounds, the remaining three teams will battle it out for second place. Even a tie at home against Barcelona would be a positive result for the Eagles, and they will certainly be aiming for that or better.

Both sides are undefeated in both their domestic and Champions League games thus far, and that should make for an intriguing encounter. Below is the team news and projected lineups for Benfica vs. Barcelona.

Benfica Team News

Benfica lost two of its best players, Javi Garcia and Axel Witsel, during the summer transfer window, but that has not stopped them from topping the Portuguese table.

The Champions League is where the club will feel the effect of losing those players even more and those players will definitely be missed against Barcelona.

Benfica will also be without defensive rock Luisao, who is banned from all competitions for two months, and Oscar Cardozo due to injury (via Goal.com).

Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1)

 Artur

Pereira—Jardel—Garay—Melgarejo

Perez—Matic

Salvio—Aimar—Gaitan

Rodrigo

Barcelona Team News

Barcelona has given their fans plenty to be excited, and worried, about in their games this season. A number of comeback victories, with the most recent one coming against Sevilla, have confirmed the club's riches in attack and problems in defense (via ESPN Soccernet).

Part of the reason for the club's defensive woes has been the injuries to Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique. Thiago Alcantara will be missing for two months but Puyol, Andres Iniesta and Adriano are all returning from injury (via Uefa.com).

Projected Lineup(4-3-3)

Valdes

Alves—Mascherano—Song—Alba

Xavi—Busquets—Fabregas

Pedro—Messi—Tello

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omoHGGi3jtQ

Life can be tough sometimes for referees.

On an average workday, an average referee must run several kilometers, keep up with world-class athletes, make split-second decisions that affect people's livelihoods and, if he's handling a Chelsea game, endure 90 minutes of John Terry's cursing.

And then there are days like the one above.

On the day in the video above, which serves as Monday's B/R World Football Viral Video of the Day, referee Christian Fischer is embroiled in an angry confrontation with Benfica captain Luisao.

The confrontation occurred during a preseason match between Benfica and newly promoted Bundesliga side Fortuna Dusseldorf.

Incensed by Fischer's decision to send off Benfica's Javi Garcia for a second yellow card, Luisao knocks Fischer to the pitch.

Then, things get interesting.

Fischer stays on the ground, apparently knocked cold for a few moments. The match, which was supposed to be a friendly, is abandoned in the 39th minute.

It's hard to see what happens, but in the slow-motion replays, it almost looks like Luisao head-butts Fischer. If nothing else, he runs at him aggressively and knocks him over.

Later, Benfica's players accused Fischer of taking a dive. Per Metro:

Follow @MikeCummings37

As S.L. Benfica prepares for its match against Chelsea F.C. on April 4th, the smell of upset is in the air as Benfica heats up in UEFA play while Chelsea seems stagnant. 

In the first leg, Chelsea came away with the victory 1-0, but Benfica will be coming into this matchup ready to take down Chelsea and advance to the semifinal round.

Several factors will allow Benfica to upset Chelsea. Most notably, Chelsea has been weak against strong defensive teams such as Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City. Chelsea came away from the Manchester City match with a 2-1 loss and had a 0-0 draw to Tottenham at home.

Benfica's defense, led by captain Luisao, may have trouble transitioning from defense to attack and often suffer from slow play by its two center-backs. However, Chelsea has not been playing at a level to where these factors are an issue. Look for Benfica's defense to shut down the Chelsea scoring game.

When Chelsea's defense comes under inspection, one will notice a bit of slow, lazy play with high profile players like David Luiz constantly drifting out of position, thus opening up lanes in the defense. 

On the offensive side, Benfica is much more sound. The club sports a quick and technical passing scheme—coupled with Nico Gaitan, second in assists in league play—making the Benfica offense a force.

Not to mention scoring machine Oscar Cardozo will be playing. Cardozo leads the team with 18 goals this season. The Cardozo-Gaitan combo will certainly make quick work of the lackadaisical Chelsea defense.

Chelsea faces similar problems with big names such as Ivory Coast native Didier Drogba and Daniel Sturridge being at odds with how they play along with Fernando Torres drifting in and out of formation at his leisure. 

Benfica also carries quite a bit of momentum into this matchup, coming off two straight wins and a draw. Chelsea has just recently rebounded with a win in its last match following a two-game span where it saw a draw and a loss, scoring only one goal during that time.  

Being away from home will not hurt the Portuguese side. Benfica fans will be out in full force to rally behind their team, which has done very well this year and has a legitimate shot at the cup.  

Benfica sits at 18-5-2 and has been lighting up the Portuguese soccer leagues all year, earning victories by decent margins and several multi-goal shutouts.

Benfica is a very young and talented team that will be looking to outpace the older, slower vanguard that is Chelsea. Benfica will be looking to take advantage of Chelsea's historically shoddy UEFA play and lack of cohesiveness among its ranks as they play for the semifinal slot. 

Although Chelsea fields the better side on paper, Benfica's youth and pure skill will give them the upper hand to clinch the upset. 

Ahead of their Champions League quarter-final match today at Estadio da Luz, Benfica can and will look to avoid a loss against English giant Chelsea. 

The Eagles have performed well in this Champions League campaign to date. Finishing atop Group C, Benfica already knocked Manchester United out of the competition. Both the first and second legs against the Red Devils–who finished third in the group–resulted in draws.

The defending champions of the English Premier League have been in much better form this season than Chelsea; Manchester United is poised to raise the league trophy again this season as they hold a three point lead in first place in the league table, 23 points ahead of fifth place Chelsea. 

Chelsea has performed better since Andre Villas-Boas was sacked at the beginning of the month.  They have only lost to Manchester City, a close 2-1 defeat, since Roberto Di Matteo took over the club. 

In the last round of the Champions League, under AVB, they were down 3-1 on aggregate after the first leg against Napoli. Di Matteo took the reigns and guided Chelsea to a 4-1 victory in the second leg where the club advanced to face Benfica. 

Obviously, Chelsea is more than capable of knocking off Benfica. They have experience as many of the players from their runner-up finish in the 2008 Champions League are still with the club. With their improved play as of late, they could be the toughest opponent the Portuguese club has faced since Manchester United. 

Benfica manager Jorge Jesus has had his squad ready to play and certainly would rather go into the return leg in England ahead on aggregate or at least even with Chelsea. 

Since the third round of qualifying for the Champions League, the Eagles have only been defeated in one match. That 3-2 loss came at the hands of Zenit St. Petersburg in the Round of 16, last round.  They have had five draws and six victories in that same time period. 

Thus far, Benfica’s draw in the tournament has been very good for the club. They have avoided European giants including Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barcelona since facing Manchester United.  They have gained confidence along the way and are ready to play. Now, they match up with another English side, which has played out in their favor in the past. 

They have produced good results against a number of Premier League teams in the Champions League. In addition to Man. U., Benfica has also defeated Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool. Adding the Blues to that list would be quite the feat. 

Benfica needs a result in the first leg if they are to advance to the semi-finals of the Champions League. The first leg is a home fixture for Benfica being played at Estadio da Luz. With a loss, it would be quite difficult to get a result at Stamford Bridge in the second leg and advance to the semi-finals.