[Liverweb] Benfica Away Match Preview

Liverweb Match Preview

Opponents : Benfica
Date : Tuesday 21 February 2006 @ 19.45 GMT
Venue : Stadium of Light, Lisbon
TV Coverage : ITV4, Premiere Sport Portal, Sky Calcio 10, TV3
Ireland, TV3 Norway, RTP1, Sport TV Multijugos, ART Sport 6,
Supersport 3SA, Albania Sat+4 Family, C+ Deporte 1, Lumiere TV,
Supersport 2, Viasat Sport 1, ESPN Atlantic, RTP1

Tape Delay : NTV+ Football (1hr 50), Polsat Sport Extra (3hrs 55),
ESPN Latin/Pacific (2hrs)

Reds versus Portugese Teams - Portugese Ltrack Files
Liverpool start back in the Champions league against portugese side
Benfica. The sides have met in the past and the Reds have always
come out on top in the tie as a whole.

The form book favours the Reds at the moment as well. The Reds come
in to the game having just beaten United (knocked out in this comp
by Benfica) in the FA Cup. That win ended a week in which they won
two league games as well. All of the three games finished 1-0 to the
Reds.

Steven Gerrard is the Reds' leading league scorer so far this season
with 7 to his name.

Benfica come in to the game having lost at the weekend to lowly
Guimares. The loss meant Benfica dropped two places in the league to
fourth place. Benfica have won seven of their last ten games though.
That said their three losses of late have come in the past four
matches.

Nuno Gomes leads the Benfica scoring charts with 14 goals so far
this season. His goals mainly come in the second half but he is just
as lethal at home or away. He has one hat-trick to his name.

Squads : Robbie Fowler is available again after missing the weekend
Cup tie due to being ineligible to play. Jan Kromkamp and Dan Agger
however are ineligible after playing for their respective sides
earlier in the competition.

Giovanni is missing for Benfica through injury but they can call
upon Laurent Robert who was signed in January without having been
cup tied.

Team Stats : This is the fourth time the Reds have been drawn
against Benfica in this competition. The Reds have always beaten
Benfica and made the final before now. On two of those three
occassions they also lifted the trophy.

The Reds have won the top European trophy 5 times and of course
after last May's triumph the trophy remains at Anfield. Our
opponents won the trophy twice back at the starts of the 1960's.

Playing Portugese sids away from home the Reds have a evenly
balanced success rate of two wins, two draws and two losses. On of
the two losses came againstBenfica last time out in 1984.

This is the Reds' 50th game in the Champions League (quals inc) and
so far the Reds have wqon 25 of those gone so far. Away from home
they have won 11 of 25 games in the CL (all games).

The Reds need one goal to make it to 150 under Rafa Benitez. Should
Benfica manage to score two against the Reds it will mean that we
have conceded 100 in the top UEFA competition.

Benfica have played English sides on seventeen occassions and have
won just the four times. Three of those wins came in Portugal
itself.

Player Stats : Sami Hyypia hopes to play in his 56th consecutive
European Game - already a Reds record.

Xabi Alonso and Jose Reina will both miss the next game if they are
booked in this one. Didi Hamann is the most booked Red in the
Champions League. He has seen yellow on nine occassions thus far.

Momo Sissoko will look to play his 10th Champions League game in
this one.

Dietmar Hamann will hope to play in his 60th European game for the
Reds in this one. Steven Gerrard will be hoping for his 60th
European start in this match.

This will be Fernando Morientes 10th European tie for the Reds.

Harry Kewell has come off the bench nine times in Europe so far for
the Reds. All of those appearances have been in the Champions
League.

A single Gerrard goal will draw him level with Roger Hunt in third
place fo the Reds' all time European scoring list. Djibril Cisse
needs one to hit double figures in Liverpool European colours.

Referee : Konrad Plautz (Aut) - took charge of the Reds' first day
win over Real Betis. Plautz has huge experience at this level and is
one of the UEFA elite group of referee's. In total this season he
has taken charge of three group games and one qualifier.

Betting : Liverpool 11/8, Benfica 17/10, Draw : 2/1

To go through this tie : Liverpool 4/11, Benfica 2/1

Tournament Odds : Liverpool 11/1, Benfica 50/1

Liverweb Prediction : Benfica 1 Liverpool 1

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