Sports Mole previews Wednesday’s Champions League clash between Monaco and Benfica, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Strong starters Monaco welcome an in-form Benfica side to the Stade Louis II on matchday five of the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Both recorded domestic victories at the weekend and look on course to reach the knockout rounds of this competition.
Match preview
After a blip against Angers at the start of the month, Monaco have responded brilliantly, with Adi Hutter‘s men now on a three-game winning streak.
Monaco beat Bologna on matchday four to take them up to third at the halfway point of this Champions League league phase campaign, with only 100% Liverpool and Sporting Lisbon above them.
Since that success at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, Monaco have won 3-1 away to a usually strong Strasbourg, and 3-2 at home to Brest at the weekend, meaning they have taken 26 points from a possible 36 in Ligue 1 so far.
Home form has been a big factor in their success domestically and on the continent, with just one defeat in nine games here so far this season, a run which includes a win over Barcelona.
Before the start of this campaign, Monaco were on a 14-game winless run in the Champions League, but after six years away, they have returned in fine fashion with 10 points from their opening four games, winning three at this stage of a UCL season for just the second time – after also doing so in 1997-98.
This will be just the third time the two clubs have met, with the first two coming back in the group stage of this competition in 2014, and even though Monaco came top and Benfica finished bottom of that section, the Portuguese club took four points off their upcoming opponents, keeping a clean sheet in both.
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Benfica have not been as convincing domestically and in the UCL so far, but they are improving all the time under Bruno Lage, who has made a big impact since replacing Roger Schmidt.
The visitors did thump Atletico Madrid 4-0 on matchday two, but have since lost at home to Feyenoord, and narrowly away to Bayern Munich last time out, meaning they have dropped from joint-top to 19th.
After their trip to Bavaria though, Benfica have been brilliant, beating Porto 4-1 to close the gap on them, and to the Champions League places, to just two points, before hammering Estrela 7-0 in the cup at the weekend, taking Lage to 11 wins in his first 13 games in charge.
That should give them the inspiration to finally record a 50th UCL win, with Lage’s only two defeats since taking over both coming in this competition in their last two outings.
However, one hoodoo they must overcome is the fact they have never won away in France in the Champions League – drawing three and losing five in eight visits.
Monaco Champions League form:
Monaco form (all competitions):
Benfica Champions League form:
Benfica form (all competitions):
Team News
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Monaco will be able to welcome Lamine Camara back into the starting XI here after he served a domestic suspension at the weekend, meaning the hosts should have their first-choice midfield on display, following Denis Zakaria‘s recovery from injury.
Caio Henrique saw his place in the side taken by teenager Christian Mawissa Elebi at the weekend, and who starts at left-back here remains unclear, given that the more experienced Brazilian also sat out the win over Bologna.
On the injury front, Folarin Balogun has been joined on the sidelines by Krepin Diatta recently, with both ruled out of this one.
Benfica will be without right-back Alexander Bah after the Danish international injured his knee in the thrashing of Estrela over the weekend, joining Tiago Gouveia, who is doubtful, and Gianluca Prestianni on the treatment table.
Lage rested much of his first-choice XI for the cup win, but the manner of the success could see some keep their places in the side, including Angel Di Maria and Arthur Cabral.
Di Maria netted a hat trick inside 18 minutes, meaning he now has five goals in his last two, but is it questionable whether he could play twice in a week at the age of 36, while Arthur may see Vangelis Pavlidis take his place in the side despite scoring twice.
Turkish duo Kerem Akturkoglu and Orkun Kokcu, recent Portuguese call-up Tiago Araujo, and goalkeeper Anatolii Trubin were also rested at the weekend, and should return to the side in France.
Monaco possible starting lineup:
Majecki, Vanderson, Kehrer, Salisu, Caio Henrique; Zakaria, Camara; Akliouche, Golovin, Ben Seghir; Embolo
Benfica possible starting lineup:
Trubin; Kabore, Tiago Araujo, Otamendi, Fernandez; Aursnes, Florentino Luis, Kokcu; Di Maria, Pavlidis, Akturkoglu
We say: Monaco 1-1 Benfica
Monaco are winless in their last three home games against Portuguese clubs, and even though their form at the Stade Louis II has been brilliant, and they sit third in the 36-team standings, it will be a difficult test.
That is because Benfica’s recent performances have given plenty for them to be confident about, frustrating Bayern for large periods, thrashing Porto, and entering seventh heaven at the weekend, so they will feel they can take something here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
