S.L. Benfica eye three UCL wins in a row as Feyenoord visits.

2024-10-17

As Benfica aims for a third consecutive Champions League victory and Feyenoord eyes back-to-back European wins for the first time in over two decades, sparks are set to fly at the Estádio do Benfica in a tantalizing clash officiated by Turkish referee Umut Meler.

Benfica

Bruno Lage's UEFA Champions League adventure improved significantly after an emphatic 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid on Match Day 2. The Eagles had started their campaign with a 2-1 win over Zvezda on UCL Match Day 1.

Now one of the seven sides to have won both opening matches, Benfica are in 3rd place on the league phase table with 6 points. They will be looking to achieve three consecutive UCL wins.

Heading into Wednesday’s clash against familiar foes Feyenoord, they come off a 2-1 victory over Pevidém SC in the Taça de Portugal. Both sides have faced each other four times, all in the European Cup.

With previous games ending in victories in Portugal [3-1 in 1963 and 5-1 in 1972], Benfica hopes to secure three home wins in a row over Wednesday’s visitors. Having won each of their last three games in the UEFA Champions League, Benfica could strengthen their impressive record against Dutch teams with another win.

Benfica has only lost one of six UEFA Champions League games against Dutch teams [2 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss]. Vangelis Pavlidis is expected to lead the attack when Lage employs the 4-3-3 formation, with Di Maria and Kerem Aktürkoglu potentially supporting the Greek forward.

Feyenoord

Feyenoord recently showed their strength with a commanding 5-1 victory over Go Ahead Eagles. They also managed to get back on track in the UEFA Champions League after overcoming a 4-0 defeat to Leverkusen on Match Day 1.

The Dutch club secured a tough 3-2 win against Girona, aided by an unusual stroke of luck with two own goals. This victory marked Feyenoord's first away win in the UEFA Champions League in over two decades, their last being a 1-0 win against Newcastle in September 2002.

The win over Girona on Match Day 2 could lead to Feyenoord achieving back-to-back victories in the same UEFA Champions League campaign for the first time since February 2000. Achieving consecutive away wins in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League also hasn't been done since October 1971.

Now managed by Brian Priske, who succeeded Arne Slot, the team is performing with a 45% win rate under his leadership. Priske is expected to implement a 4-3-3 formation, featuring Ayase Ueda as the central figure in attack, with support from Igor Paixão and Ibrahim Osman.