Two clubs chasing UEFA Champions League glory will do battle today in a match between Benfica and Bayer Leverkusen. The group-stage clash scheduled for 2:45 p.m. ET will be held at the Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica in Lisbon and can be live streamed here free. Additional TV coverage can be found on Fox Soccer Plus.
What They're Saying
Benfica manager Jorge Jesus (via UEFA): "The truth is that we have no chance of continuing in Europe. Still, we have a responsibility to win. Our Champions League record is always important. The points don't count in terms of qualification, but they do for our identity, especially to those players that will be involved. There is no sporting risk because we are out, but we'll try to be competitive against Leverkusen, even using some players that don't play often."
Bayer Leverkusen manager Roger Schmidt: "We expect Benfica will want to end on a high with a win. The group was very close and Benfica were unlucky and could, for instance, have won at Zenit. The fact is that in 15 European home matches. they have only lost one, which shows their strength. All our players take great joy in playing and that desire is greater in Europe. They'll take this match seriously and won't take it easy. I plan to make a change or two because some players have played a lot, but still, the aim is to win."
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Bayer Leverkusen's Stefan Kiessling has had modicum of success in Champions League play. In five appearances, the 30-year-old has one assist and an average of 1.6 key passes.
Benfica's Projected Lineup (4-2-2-2): Artur; André Almeida, Jardel, Lisandro López, Benito; Cristante, Pizzi; Tiago, Ola John, Nélson Oliveira, Derley
Bayer Leverkusen's Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno; Jedvaj, Toprak, Spahić, Wendell; Rolfes, Castro; Bellarabi, ÇalhanoÄŸlu, Son; Kiessling
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.