Benfica meet Fenerbahce in the first leg of their Champions League third qualifying round match on Tuesday night. The two clubs will meet at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon with a place in the Champions League playoff round at stake.
Both sides kick off their Champions League campaign in the third qualifying round and the two sides have everything to play for on Tuesday.
Rui Vitoria’s Benfica haven’t had to play in the Champions league qualifying rounds since 2011. The Portuguese club doesn’t have to go through qualification often, but last year’s second place finish in the Premeira Liga means the club must play two rounds to reach the group stage.
Last season’s Champions League saw Benfica finish fourth in their group after losing all six matches. Making the team’s performance in the group stage even worse was the club scored just one goal.
Fenerbahce finished second in the Turkish league last season. The Turkish giants will embark on Champions league qualification under the leadership of new manager Phillip Cocu. The Dutch manager left PSV Eindhoven this summer after leading them to the Eredivisie title last term.
Neither club has kicked of its domestic league campaign. Fitness could be an issue for both as the clubs are in preseason preparation. Benfica have had a steady preseason losing just once in six matches. Benfica’s lone loss came in their last preseason match against Lyon, 3-2. Vitoria’s team did draw with Borussia Dortmund and Juventus during their tour of North America. Fenerbahce have also lost just once this preseason. The Turkish club’s loss came against Swiss club Lausanne. Since then, Fenerbahce have won twice and drawn twice. However, their level of competition hasn’t been up to the same quality as Benfica’s opponents. Fenerbahce’s last four preseason matches have come against Fulham, Feyenoord, Altinordu, and Cagliari.
Fenerbahce’s biggest offseason signing has been the acquisition of striker Andre Ayew. The Ghanaian joined on a loan and will be counted on to score goals for the Turkish giants. Benfica have gone with their usual business of buying players just off the radar of other big teams in Europe. As always, Benfica will focus on developing those players to sell on to other clubs.
Benfica’s squad looks far better on paper than Fenerbahce’s team. Their recent success in the Champions league should benefit them. Playing at home will also help Benfica and they will head to Turkey in a week’s time with an advantage after winning on Tuesday.