Overview
Benfica has the advantage after the first leg of the Champions League play-off round. The 1-0 victory right in France gave coach Bruno Lage's team a big advantage before the second leg. With just a draw, Benfica will qualify for the round of 16.
Benfica are in very good form, having won all 5 of their most recent matches. Notably, they have only suffered 1 defeat in 11 home matches in Portugal.
In the Champions League, they won 1, drew 1 and lost 2. However, the losses to Barcelona and Feyenoord still showed a positive part in Benfica's playing style. Under Bruno Lage, Benfica have achieved a balance in both attack and defence.
Meanwhile, Monaco are facing many disadvantages before the second leg. They played brilliantly, winning 2 and losing 3 in their last 5 matches. Moreover, Monaco's achievements when playing away from home are also extremely alarming.
Coach Adi Hutter's team has lost 6/8 of their most recent away matches, the rest were 2 draws. Therefore, the away trip to Lisbon is expected to be very difficult for Monaco.
With the advantage in the first leg, Benfica will have the right to take the initiative in the second leg. Meanwhile, Monaco was forced to attack despite having to play away.
Vangelis Pavlidis scored the only goal in the first leg last week. With 15 goals in 36 appearances in all competitions this season, the Greek striker is expected to continue to score.
Meanwhile, Mika Biereth of Monaco has also enjoyed impressive form in recent weeks, scoring 7 goals in the last 3 appearances in Ligue 1.
Personnel situation
Benfica have a long list of players who will be absent due to injury, while key midfielder Florentino will be suspended for 1 match.
On the other side of the front line, Monaco are also suffering a list of serious injuries, in addition to that, Al Musrati, Denis Zakaria and Vanderson are all suspended in the second leg.
Expected lineup:
Benfica: Trubin, Santos, Otamendi, Silva, Carreras, Amdouni, Kokcu, Barreiro, Akturkoglu, Pavlidis, Cabral.
Monaco: Majecki, Kehrer, Salisu, Mawissa, Henrique, Camara, Coulibaly, Akliouche, Ben Seghir, Minamino, Biereth.
The match between Benfica and Monaco takes place at 3:00 am on February 19 (Vietnam time).
