Benfica - Shakhtar - Champions League preview

Benfica plays Ukrainian side Shakhtar this Wednesday on matchday 2 of the Champions League. Benfica lost 2-1 to Milan on match day 2 and Shakhtar hosted and beat Celtic. This is a game that Benfica not only needs to win but also is clear favorite, playing home against a team that is supposedly the weakest of the group, hailing from the pot where all the fourth seeded(lowest seed) teams were. This is a game where Benfica needs to come away with the 3 points. After losing away to the defending champion Milan, in a sort of expected result, Benfica needs to get on the win column. A win would put them in a favorable position, being that Shakhtar also has a win and has yet to play Milan, a win would most likely put Benfica ahead of their most direct competitor, Celtic. Celtic lost in match day one and faces Milan in Scotland in a game where they are cleary an inferior side and most likely will lose the game. A win for Benfica would not only tie Shakhtar in the points standing but would also put Benfica in the drivers seat for a match day 3 match up against Scots while Shakhtar will travel to Italy to face Milan. With that being said..

Let’s look at this Shakhtar team. Shakhtar leads the Ukrainian Premiere league with 10 wins and 1 draw, and although the Ukrainian Premiere is a weak League, it’s still notable. Shakthar has played Benfica officially in 4 games splitting the results with 1 win, 1 loss and 2 ties. They played 2 qualifying rounds before making it to the group stages of the Champions League, something that also illustrates the weakness of the Ukrainian league. Domestically they have outscored their opponents 28-7 with most of the goals (10) coming from Olexandr Gladkiy, surprisingly enough Gladkiy did not start against Celtic, instead Lupescu went with Brandao, which has 6 goals domestically, and Lucarelli, both scoring a goal a piece in the first 8 minutes of match day 1 against Celtic. I haven’t seen Shakhtar play but have a feeling there are coming to play for the tie, they will most likely be solid an compact defending and will take advantage of the counter attack, while being happy giving Benfica the initiative during the first 20 minutes and getting a feel for Benfica’s system, they will look to match up and mark up right from the start in order to frustrate Benfica and wait for a counter chance or even a break in play where they can establish their playing style..

As for Benfica, after a disappointing tie this weekend the team will look to get their first point in the Champions league and get on the right path. I predict that Benfica will start with the same team as they started this past weekend.

Quim which continues to demonstrate his great form, Nelson and Leo on the flanks and Luisao and Edcarlos will repeat Saturday’s defensive tandem. While Luisao is coming into competitive rhythm, Edcarlos has rapidly adapted to Benfica’s defensive style and plays a no non-sense game. In the midfield, Katsouranis and Maxi will repeat their defensive midfield positioning from Saturday, allowing for Rui Costa to have more creative freedom and less defensive responsibilities.. Rodriguez and Di Maria will look to attack through the flanks while Nuno Gomes will once again be the lone striker. There will be no surprises, I’d favor the Nuno Gomes, Cardozo pair upfront as the only change that should made by Camacho, but that would mean we would only play with one defensive mid, maybe with Petit, we could afford that luxury, due to his “lung”, with Katsouranis is a lot different, and while Katsouranis is playing well, he is far from being a player that cover as much ground as Petit. From the bench we will hopefully see Freddy Adu once again, and not in the 80^th minute please.. Cardozo will most likely join Nuno Gomes at one point or another, depending on how the game is going…so for possible 4 candidates to come off the bench I am predicting Adu, Cardozo, Assis and Binya.. Binya to refresh the midfield position if needed. Adu to give Benfica another creative option. Cardozo to be the area man while Nuno Gomes is more useful in a more mobile role. The only thing I wouldn’t like seeing would be the same ridiculous substitutions of last Saturday. So if Cardozo comes in, please let him come in for a defensive mid. Or Adu for a defensive mid.. I think recycling attackers when you are tied makes no sense, unless you are playing for the tie. Benfica needs and has the obligation to come away with these 3 points, the win will leave them in a good position in the Champions League table, a win will also serve to strengthen the team morale, and hopefully get the team in the win path.