Benfica: introducing opponents
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
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Shakhtar will meet with Benfica in the Europa League Round of 32
On February 20, the teams will play in Kharkiv, with the return leg to be held on February 27 in Lisbon.
Duel between two champions
Benfica are the current champions of Portugal. In the 2018/19 season, the club updated the national record by winning domestic gold medals for the 37th time in history, regaining the title after last year’s success of Porto. The same giants have been competing for the league title this season. Benfica are topping the standings, never being tied and having suffered one home defeat at the hands of their direct competitors in August.
In Europe’s top competition
In the Champions League, Benfica played in Group G vs RB Leipzig, Lyon, and Zenit. The Lisbon side claimed the third spot due to the fact that in the last round they had defeated the champions of Russia (3-0) after suffering the first-leg defeat in St. Petersburg in October (1-3). The Eagles scored another 4 points vs Lyon (2-1 home win) and vs RB Leipzig (2-2 away tie).
Squad and head coach
The team’s leader is Pizzi - in 24 apps, the midfielder amassed 18 goals and 10 assists. The striker Vinicius boasts 15 goals and 3 assists after 20 appearances. The defenders Ruben Dias and Alex Grimaldo boast the most match time minutes. We also want to make a special mention of the talented 18-year-old right-back Nuno Tavares who has played for 90 minutes in each of his current five Champions League appearances.
The team is headed by a 43-year-old Bruno Lage who took charge of the team as head coach back in January 2019 after moving from Benfica B. Since his appointment, the Eagles have won 31 of the 33 matches in the domestic championship. And just the other day, the club has renewed the deal with Lage until 2024.
Duel between two champions
Benfica are the current champions of Portugal. In the 2018/19 season, the club updated the national record by winning domestic gold medals for the 37th time in history, regaining the title after last year’s success of Porto. The same giants have been competing for the league title this season. Benfica are topping the standings, never being tied and having suffered one home defeat at the hands of their direct competitors in August.
In Europe’s top competition
In the Champions League, Benfica played in Group G vs RB Leipzig, Lyon, and Zenit. The Lisbon side claimed the third spot due to the fact that in the last round they had defeated the champions of Russia (3-0) after suffering the first-leg defeat in St. Petersburg in October (1-3). The Eagles scored another 4 points vs Lyon (2-1 home win) and vs RB Leipzig (2-2 away tie).
Squad and head coach
The team’s leader is Pizzi - in 24 apps, the midfielder amassed 18 goals and 10 assists. The striker Vinicius boasts 15 goals and 3 assists after 20 appearances. The defenders Ruben Dias and Alex Grimaldo boast the most match time minutes. We also want to make a special mention of the talented 18-year-old right-back Nuno Tavares who has played for 90 minutes in each of his current five Champions League appearances.
The team is headed by a 43-year-old Bruno Lage who took charge of the team as head coach back in January 2019 after moving from Benfica B. Since his appointment, the Eagles have won 31 of the 33 matches in the domestic championship. And just the other day, the club has renewed the deal with Lage until 2024.
Jose Boto, Director of the FC Shakhtar scouting department, worked at Benfica for 10 years, also heading the scouting unit there
Meeting in 2007
The draw already brought Shakhtar and Benfica together in European competitions. This happened in the 2007/08 Champions League group stage. In the 2nd round, Shakhtar won 1-0 at the Da Luz through Jadson's late first-half goal. And in the final round, Benfica took 3 points from Donetsk after winning 2-1. The goals were also scored before the break: the Miners responded with Cristiano Lucarelli’s goal to Oscar Cardozo's double. Andriy Pyatov and Darijo Srna took part in both legs.
The draw already brought Shakhtar and Benfica together in European competitions. This happened in the 2007/08 Champions League group stage. In the 2nd round, Shakhtar won 1-0 at the Da Luz through Jadson's late first-half goal. And in the final round, Benfica took 3 points from Donetsk after winning 2-1. The goals were also scored before the break: the Miners responded with Cristiano Lucarelli’s goal to Oscar Cardozo's double. Andriy Pyatov and Darijo Srna took part in both legs.