Liverpool will be the favoured side heading into the Champions League quarter-final first-leg clash against Benfica at the Estadio da Luz on Tuesday evening.
Benfica advanced to the quarter-finals after they defeated Dutch side Ajax 3-2 on aggregate over the two-legged fixture in the round of 16.
The Portuguese outfit were held to a 2-2 draw in the first leg after an own goal from Sébastien Haller and a goal from Roman Yaremchuk cancelled out goals from Dusan Tadic and Haller, but Benfica secure their place in the next round after clinching a 1-0 win over the same opponents in the return leg thanks to a goal from Darwin Núñez.
The Reds made their way to this stage of the competition after clinching a 2-1 aggregate victory over Simone Inzaghi’s Inter Milan side over their two-legged fixture in the last 16.
Liverpool managed to secure a 2-0 victory in the first leg at the San Siro in Milan courtesy of goals from Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah before conceding a narrow 1-0 defeat in the second leg as Lautaro Martínez scored the only goal of the match.
Benfica coach Nelson Verissimo says: “We are aware that the Champions League is a kind of salvation for our season.
“Our initial objective was to get the knockout stage of the Champions League and now it’s up to us to continue the Benfica dream.
“We know it’s Liverpool, but we have to fight, we can play better,” Verissimo said on Friday.
“We always have to work. The Champions League game is different. We can’t forget our game today because Liverpool will see it. We have to correct it.”
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp adds: “Really looking forward to it. It’s a quarter-final so a tough one. Benfica did obviously really well against Ajax and that’s the situation. I know people will say we are the favourites and stuff like this, but that’s already the first mistake you could make.
“We are too long in the business now to make these kinds of mistakes. I’m just really looking forward to it. I respect a lot what they are doing there, it’s a massive club. I don’t think I ever played there, to be 100 per cent honest.
“Lisbon, a great city, on top of that – I spent my last week off on holiday [before taking the Liverpool job], I got the call from Mike Gordon in Lisbon. So that’s a nice memory as well; I was sitting in an outside coffee bar, I got the call and we made the decision actually in Lisbon.”
Although Liverpool are favourites coming into this fixture, Benfica have the advantage over the Reds, having won three out of the last four meetings between the two teams, while Liverpool’s only victory over them came in their most recent fixture when they secured a comfortable 4-1 win have won the most recent game on 8 April 2010.
Nelson Verissimo will be without the services of three key players, including Rodrigo Pinho, Lucas Verissimo and Adel Taarabt, who remain sidelined through injury, while Jurgen Klopp will be boosted by the return of Curtis Jones and Joel Matip, while Naby Keita remained out with a knee injury he picked up while on international duty.
Form Guide:
Benfica Champions League form:
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Benfica form (all competitions):
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Liverpool Champions League form:
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Liverpool form (all competitions):
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