Benfica are one of the few sides that started the season in the Champions League that are still standing in the Europa League in the round of 16. However, they could be set for a difficult fixture this week, as they come up against high-flying Rangers.
It hasn’t exactly been the European season that Benfica would have been hoping for after starting the campaign in the Champions League. However, they will take positives from the fact that they could yet end the campaign with a major European honour.
The Portuguese side needed to be at their very best to make it through the playoff round after edging past Toulouse with a 2-1 aggregate success. All the damage was done in the first leg of that tie, with a 0-0 stalemate being played out in the return fixture in France. It could be important to note that Benfica have never lost a home match in the Europa League, having avoided defeat in all 27 matches that they have played in the competition.
Rangers are enjoying a memorable campaign in Europe, and they defied expectations to make it out of Group C as winners. The Gers finished a point clear of Sparta Prague, and they recorded three wins from their six matches in the opening round. That included a famous 3-2 success in Spain against Real Betis.
This will be their first knockout tie in the competition since losing on penalties against Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2022 Europa League final. Interestingly, they suffered three defeats in four away knockout stage matches on their way to the final in that season, with their only win coming against Borussia Dortmund in the playoff round.
These two famous sides will be meeting for the third time this week. The previous two clashes both ended in score draws in the group stage of the 2021-22 Europa League. In Portugal, the sides played out a 3-3 tie, with a 2-2 draw being the result in Scotland.
Rangers have recorded one win from seven previous trips to Portugal, which would be a concern ahead of this showdown. Therefore, it could be worth siding with Benfica maintaining their unbeaten home record in the competition by landing a 1-0 win. But, it could be a different assignment when the sides meet back in Scotland next week.
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