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Portuguese giants Benfica will host F.C. Twente in a match that will decide whether the Eagles get their big chance in the UEFA Champions League. The match is well poised with the first leg finishing even at 2-2. Even though Benfica enjoy the home condition in the 2nd leg, there are no clear favorites in this one. Benfica’s squad has the advantage of being free from injuries and hence a full strength side will be put in place by manager Jorge Jesus. Moreover, Benfica’s side seems settled inspite of the abundant transfer activity and if their league performance is anything to go by, Twente are in for a hard night’s football.
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The onus will once again be on the attacking quartet of Nolito, Gaitan, Aimar and Cardozo. They were sharp in the first leg and overhauled the side from Netherlands in the first half. However, they looked a spent force in the second half which allowed Twente to make a comeback in the fixture. They do not necessarily need to play possession football as they tried to in vain in the first leg. Benfica will be at their best if they catch Twente’s defense by surprise with great off the ball movement and creating space on the wings.
Even though history is a trivial thing in football, Benfica can look upon theirs and take some confidence from it. No team from the Eredivise has won at the Luz in the last 25 years. The stats on the other end are not as bright for Twente. Their away record in the European championship is nothing to boast about; Twente have finished on the losing side on 4 of the last 5 occasions.
Twente will miss Nacer Chadli for the second leg due to an injury he sustained. There are plenty of positives for Twente on account of their performance on the weekend against Heerenveen. Twente will be putting a lot of faith in their reliable forwards in Bryan Ruiz and Luuk De Jong. The two have shown exceptional touch in recent games and may fuel an exciting win tonight. Benfica will lose this game to Twente the moment they take them for granted. This match will not be closed with an early goal and we can expect the battle to be fought throughout the 90 minutes. To be in the UEFA Champions League group stages is an incentive both teams are desperate to achieve.
