Benfica would have expected to be strong enough to progress through to the knock-out stages of the Champions League, but events mean that the Lisbon club have fallen short, paying for erratic away form. Instead, the Europa League beckons, but only if they earn a positive result against a Schalke team who need to win to claim top spot.
Though the Aguias picked up a 2-0 victory over Hapoel Tel Aviv on the competition’s opening evening, the tone was set for their group stage three weeks later when they went down 2-0 against Schalke. A similar reverse in France against Olympique Lyonnais was to prove decisive, despite beating OL 4-3 in early November.
For all that their poor performances on the road have cost them vital points, it is that victory against les Gones that they will live to forget. Leading 4-0, Jorge Jesus’ men were cruising to victory but took their foot off the pedal and would allow the Frenchmen to draw sufficiently close to give them a head-to-head advantage.
If there was disappointment in the manner they finished the last 15 minutes of that encounter, this would pale into insignificance as they went down 3-0 in Israel only a fortnight later, finishing off any lingering hopes of the last 16.
With Porto already well clear domestically, it’s been a disappointing conclusion to 2010 for the Reds, who will seek to finish the year strongly and attack 2011 with renewed vigour.
No More Crisis-Talk
Schalke have impressively managed to forget their domestic worries when playing in Europe so far this season. Die Koenigsblauen may linger just above the relegation zone in the Bundesliga, but they’re heading to the last 16 of the Champions League. Yet Felix Magath’s men want to progress in style, and in order to maximise their chances of going deeper in the competition must aim for first spot.
Victory against Benfica is therefore necessary, and the Gelsenkirchen side approach the game with a good deal of confidence having picked up a 2-0 success over Bayern Munich at the weekend. However, they’ve been especially erratic away from home, with a 5-0 loss against Kaiserslautern a reminder of just how frail a side Schalke can be.
“If we continue to play like this, there will be no more of this crisis-talk,” Magath commented after the weekend’s victory. “We have had a miserable start. The team had to find itself, but now and then we will see such games.”
With goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in inspired form between the posts and Raul starting to find his feet in a creative role just behind a central striker, the signs are that Schalke are improving. They’ve already proven this when playing at home, now they need to do so on the road, and the door is open for just that in Lisbon.
TEAM NEWS
Benfica
Pablo Aimar, Oscar Cardozo and Airton are all back training after recent injury concerns. Alan Kardec isn’t involved in the squad.
Schalke
Junmin Hao, Tim Hoogland and Levan Kenia are all training after a variety of problems. Christian Pander returned against Bayern Munich after suffering from muscular problems that ruled him out for over a year, but he’s not registered to play in the Champions League.
Jefferson Farfan isn’t in the squad due to a suspension.
Prediction
Neither of these sides have been particularly noted for their consistency this season, with the German outfit particularly erratic. Given the unpredictable nature of the two sides, a draw would look unlikely, but which team to win is something of a toss of the coin. With Benfica have won their two previous home games, they should be favoured, but only if they go out with the intent of winning.
Benfica 2-1 Schalke 04 
