The Champions League quarterfinals are coming to a close, and one of the fiercest battles of the first leg of the round is coming to Portugal for its conclusion. Bayern Munich beat Benfica 1-0 in Germany in a much narrower scoreline than they would have wanted, thanks in large part to a stellar performance from the Portuguese upstarts hoping for an upset. Can they manage another herculean performance on home soil to knock the German titans down? We’re about to find out.
Benfica vs. Bayern Munich confirmed Champions League lineups
A depleted Benfica side will have to pull out all the stops to upset Bayern.
Benfica will have to get the job done without some of their best players, though. Leading scorer and European Golden Boot competitor Jonas is suspended after picking up a yellow card in the last round to trigger an accumulation ban, and fellow key striker Kostas Mitroglou failed a fitness test and didn’t make the lineup or the bench. That takes over 50 goals in all competitions away from Benfica, and it’s only made worse with Nicolas Gaitan also missing the match through injury. The Argentine winger is the attacking engine that makes this team work, and his absence will be keenly felt.
Benfica starting XI (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Andre Almeida, Jardel, Victor Lindelöf, Eliseu; Ljubomir Fejsa, Renato Sanches; Toto Salvio, Mehdi Carcela, Pizzi; Raul Jimenez
Bayern Munich starting X (4-3-3): Manuel Neuer; Philipp Lahm, Javi Martinez, Joshua Kimmich, David Alaba; Xabi Alonso, Thiago Alcantara, Arturo Vidal; Franck Ribery, Thomas Muller, Douglas Costa
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