After a dream group stage, without defeats and in which they finished in first place in a group with Juventus and PSG, Benfica is back this Wednesday in the eighth finals of the Champions League (20:00, Eleven Sports), with opponent Club Brugge, currently fourth in the Belgian league, who in the previous phase of the competition were able to do their best and worst against FC Porto: they defeated 4-0 at Dragão and lost with the same result in Belgium to Sérgio Conceição’s team.
Roger Schmidt devalued the less good moment that Club Brugge is going through this Tuesday – it has been 10 consecutive games without a win. The German coach recalled the record of the Belgians in the group stage and recalled that they are different competitions: “My experience tells me that what is done in other competitions does not have a great transfer to other competitions. Everyone at Bruges is very motivated. “A very difficult group with FC Porto. They beat Atlético Madrid and Leverskusen, teams of great quality. They deserve to be here, the individual quality is evident. I don’t think they go out on the field and think about the moment they are alive. “I’m sure both teams will be at their best.”
The German coach did not open the match about the eleven, nor about the possibility of Rafa and Gonçalo Ramos returning to the title in exchange for Gonçalo Guedes and David Neres. What Schmidt confirmed was that he had already forgiven Bah for the exclusion in Braga, in a match that dictated Benfica’s elimination from the Portuguese Cup.
“We have a lot of players who can be in the starting line-up. It was important for Gonçalo Ramos to come back to play in Braga, after the injuries he had and with a few more training sessions he is better and that’s it. Let’s see if he starts in the eleven. Bah’s question is something that happens in football. Days before, he scored his debut for Benfica. He’s not a bad player, things happen, we have to apologize, he just had an unlucky moment”, justified he.
Schmidt, who declined to answer whether or not Benfica are favorites in this draw, went on to explain the differences between Gonçalo Ramos and Gonçalo Guedes, and what else they can bring to the team. “Gonçalo Guedes is not really a striker, he is more of a second striker. We had to put him in a different position. They are very fast and strong players in finishing. They have the capacity to perform those functions. Gonçalo Guedes was very good tomorrow [hoje] We will soon see who goes to the game.”
João Mario and the great Benfica
João Mário, speaking for Roger Schmidt at a press conference, guaranteed that “only a great Benfica will be able to win” in Belgium. “It’s a Champions League game with a high degree of difficulty. They had a good group stage, now they have a different coach, with a different proposal, but the players are the same. They have a lot of individual talent, they mix some young people with more experience,” he said.
The Benfica midfielder is probably having the best moment of his career, with 16 goals, nine assists and great performances, something that, he said, is “the result of collective work”. “I have adapted well to this new tactical model in which I play more advanced and get into the finish zones more. Fortunately, I showed coolness in finishing and managed to help the team,” he shot, later commenting on the alleged lack of intensity that has been pointed out to him over the past season. “It’s an interesting question and, as far as I’m concerned, it’s an excuse for a lot of things that have become commonplace. I believe in this Benfica, if I played in position 8, it would also match, it’s all about the attacking football the team plays,” the comment read.
Favorable track record and millions
Benfica has reason to be optimistic as direct clashes with Belgian teams are in their favour, with 12 wins in 21 games and four qualifiers in six draws, despite losing the most important game – the 1982/83 UEFA Cup Final against Anderlecht .
Benfica also historically has a favorable record in knockout rounds giving entry to the quarter-finals in the Champions era (since 2003/04), as it managed to qualify in four of its five appearances in the round of 16, having Liverpool had beaten Ajax and Zenit twice. The complete fails as they fell against Borussia Dortmund in 2016/17. There are four qualifications and one elimination in total, with 70% of wins (seven), plus one draw and two losses, in 10 encounters, with 14 goals and 10 conceded.
If they surpass Club Brugge, Benfica could get their hands on another €10.6 million, the UEFA prize for reaching the quarter-finals. So far the team has already earned 61 million (38.38 just for qualifying for the group stage), and if it manages to pass the Belgians, it will break the current record for the best turnover ever achieved in the competition with a wide margin improvement. Last season, 64.903 million euros came in, which amounts to 71.6 million euros.
The record for the highest ever turnover in the Champions League belongs to FC Porto, who earned 79.2 million in 2018/2019 by reaching the quarter-finals of the competition and adding five wins in the group stage.
Source: DN
