Benfica vs Midtjylland Benfica will invite Midtjylland to the Estádio da Luz in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round on Tuesday.
Benfica vs Midtjylland The winner of this round-trip match will secure a place in the playoffs, the last stage before entering the group stage. Benfica finished third in the Primeira Liga last season to secure a direct place in the third qualifying round.
Benfica vs Midtjylland Kick Off Time
Competition: Benfica vs Midtjylland
Date: August 2, 2022
Kick-off: 8 pm, UK time
Read More: Monaco vs PSV Live: Watch Free UEFA Champions League Qualifiers 2022-23
Benfica vs Midtjylland Benfica was impressed in the Champions League last season, beating Spartak Moscow and PSV Eindhoven in the preliminary rounds before finishing second in a group that included both Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
The Portuguese giants then beat Ajax 3-2 on aggregate in the round of 16, but they were eliminated by Liverpool in the last eight, losing 6-4 on aggregate to the Reds, who went down 1-0 to Real Madrid in the final.
Benfica will again have to come through a third qualifying round tie and a playoff encounter if they are to be present in the group stage of the competition, having finished third in Portugal’s top flight last term, 11 points behind second-place Sporting Lisbon and 17 off champions Porto.
Benfica vs Midtjylland Playing XI
Benfica starting lineup: Vlachodimos; Gilberto, Otamendi, Vertonghen, Grimaldo; Fernandez, Weigl; Neres, Ramos, H Araujo; Musa
FC Midtjylland starting lineup: Olafsson; Dalsgaard, Sviatchenko, Juninho; Andersson, Onyedika, Charles, Paulinho; Chilufya, Dreyer, Isaksen
Read More: England vs Germany Live: Watch Free Women’s Euro 2022 final live Stream
Benfica vs Midtjylland Benfica is expected to have new faces in their starting line-up for this match, with Neres and Fernandes starting after they arrive from Shakhtar Donetsk and River Plate respectively.
There could also be room in the final third of the pitch for Moussa, while 20-year-old Enrique Araujo could also play in an attacking zone for the Portuguese giants.
There will be experience at the back in the form of Nicolas Otamendi and Jan Vertonghen, while Alex Grimaldo is expected to start despite speculation surrounding his future.
As for Midtjylland, the starting line-up should be similar to the one that took the field for the first whistle against Larnaca last week.
Head coach Henriksen made changes for the league game against OB on Friday, with Charles, Paulinho, and Edward Chilufya among the dropouts, but the trio should be back here.
Telefon Sisto is also pushing for a place in the squad, but Gustav Isaksen and Anders Dreyer, who both scored on Friday, are expected to retain their starting roles for Tuesday’s European competition.
Benfica vs Midtjylland Head-to-Head Result
Benfica vs Midtjylland This will be the first meeting between the two teams, although Benfica and Midtjylland have faced sides from Denmark and Portugal respectively.
Read More: PSG vs Nantes live: Watch Free 2022 French Trophee Des Champions live Stream
The hosts are unbeaten in their 14 matches against Danish sides in all competitions, winning 12 of them and drawing two. Leuven has a somewhat mediocre record in their six games against Portuguese sides, registering just one win. They have lost four times while one match ended in a draw.
Benfica form guide (all competitions): W-W-W-W-W
Midtjylland form guide (all competitions): W-W-L-D-D
Midtjylland, meanwhile, finished second in the Danish Superliga last season, which saw them join the 2022-23 Champions League in the second qualifying round.
Wolves found Larnaca to be tough opposition as they drew 2-2 on aggregate with the Cypriot side but managed to triumph 4-3 on penalties to ensure they are at this stage of the competition.
Bo Henriksen’s side also has three league games to their name in the 2022-23 season, picking up four points from three games to leave them third in the table.
The Danish giants were in impressive form on Friday, recording a 5-1 win over OB and entering the 2020-21 Champions League group stage, finishing fourth in Group D, which included Liverpool, Ajax, and Atalanta BC.
Midtjylland played in both the Europa League and the Europa Conference League last season after failing to reach the Champions League group stage, finishing third in their Europa League section before losing on penalties to PAOK in the Europa League qualifiers.
