Two clubs chasing UEFA Champions League glory will do battle today in a match between Bayer Leverkusen and Benfica. The group-stage match scheduled for 2:45 p.m. ET will be held at the BayArena in Leverkusen and can be live streamed here free. Additional TV coverage can be found on Fox Soccer Plus.
Benfica manager Jorge Jesus had this to offer ahead of today's European encounter (via UEFA): "We played Leverkusen in the Europa League a few years ago and they still have six or seven players in the squad from that match. But they have a new coach, who has brought new ideas and they are playing very well in the Bundesliga. It's going to be a tough challenge and we have to be at our best to take three points from Germany. But we have the quality for that."
"A second loss would complicate things for us," he added. "It is a difficult but fairly even group, and every team can lose once. In the end, just four or five teams will be able to win the Champions League. The rest of the teams will be happy to make it through the group stage or qualify for the quarterfinals. This is also our aim."
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Bayer Leverkusen's Stefan Kiessling remains the club's premier attacking threat atop the formation. In six league appearances, the 30-year-old has created 10 chances in addition to his one goal.
Bayer Leverkusen's Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno; Hilbert, Toprak, Spahić, Wendell; Reinartz, Bender; Bellarabi, ÇalhanoÄŸlu, Son; Kiessling
Benfica's Projected Lineup (4-4-2): Júlio César; Maxi Pereira, Luisão, Jardel, Eliseu; Samaris; Salvio, Pérez, Gaitán; Talisca, Lima
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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