Champions League: Lisbon to Host Iberian Showdown

Benfica vs Atletico Madrid

Now here is a Champions League clash which pits Portuguese giants against Spanish giants.

The difference in finances between the respective top flights means it’s been two decades since a team from Portugal seriously threatened to be crowned Europe’s best, all the while Spanish teams have been the tournament’s dominant force.

However, as traditions go, two-time European champions Benfica have a pedigree that only an elite few can better and that many, including their opponents this week, Atletico Madrid, would love.

 

Talking Points

Ever since an Argentinian by the name of Diego Simeone rode into town at Christmas 2011, Atletico began to punch above their weight to the extent they became a genuine threat to the establishment.

That makes them favourites to defeat Benfica and create more Champions League highlights this week.

Yet it is a trophy which continues to elude them.

They arguably have a better team this season than last term when they reached the quarter-finals of the tournament, only to be surprisingly defeated by a decent but hardly vintage Borussia Dortmund.

On Sunday night, they extended their unbeaten run so far to nine games after a late equaliser in a hotly-contested Madrid derby.

They now travel to Portugal without veteran full-back Cesar Azpilicueta, who has been out with a thigh strain in recent weeks, and with question marks over the availability of Pablo Barrios with a muscle issue, although he has just returned to training.

After netting against Real, Angel Correa will be knocking on Simeone’s door for a place in the starting line-up which means one of their two big summer signings, Alexander Sorloth (last season’s top scorer in La Liga) or Julian Alvarez could miss out.

As for Benfica, they will be without the services of Renato Sanches as the 27-year-old midfielder is still recovering from a muscle injury sustained a month ago.

Since then, the Eagles have hit a rich vein of form so also come into this tie in good spirits.

Roger Schmidt was relieved of his duties after a 1-1 draw at Moreirense in late August and his replacement, Bruno Lage (briefly of Wolves), has enjoyed a four-game winning streak across the Primeira Liga and Champions League.

The latest of those successes arrived domestically on Saturday evening when World Cup and Copa America winner Nicolas Otamendi was among the scorers in a 5-1 thrashing of Gil Vicente.

One of the other marksman in that contest was summer arrival Muhamed Akturkoglou, who has been involved in four goals in three Primeira Liga matches so far, including a superb September for both Benfica and Turkey, with the 25 year-old involved in eight goals in his last five matches for club and country.

With a passionate home following, Benfica can make life difficult for their opponents, but if Atletico are serious about challenging for their first Champions League title (Benfica won back-to-back European Cups in the 1960s), it is games like this they should be winning.

 

History

These teams have met just twice before, in the group stages of the 2015/16 Champions League – a season in which Atletico were a penalty shoot-out away from being crowned kings of Europe.

On that occasion, both games went the way of the away side.

Atletico won 2-1 on Portuguese soil as Saul Niguez and Luciano Vietto scored before Kostas Mitroglou reduced the arrears.

That gained a modicum of revenge for a shock Benfica win in Madrid, by the same scoreline a few months earlier when Nicolas Gaitan and Goncalo Guedes were on target after club servant Correa had put Simeone’s men in front.

 

Betting Tip

Atletico have a slight edge with the SBOTOP Champions League betting odds, priced 1X2 @ 2.42 and Asian Handicap -0.50 @ 2.42.

That is in contrast to the hosts who can be backed 1X2 @ 2.70 and Asian Handicap 0.00 @ 2.17.

A third successive 2-1 away win has caught my eye and is on offer with Correct Score @ 9.00.

If you think this will be a tight affair, then consider Total Goal 0-1 @ 3.16 or under 2.25 @ 2.23, or if you fancy a few goals, how about Over 2.75 @ 2.16 or Total Goal 4-6 @ 3.31.

I suspect the exertions of the Madrid derby, which went on late into Sunday night, will have had an effect on Los Rojiblancos.

   

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