Date - Wednesday, October 18 2017
Kickoff Time - 1945 Hrs BST
Venue - Estádio da Luz, Lisbon
Champions League form guide
Manchester United: WW
Benfica: LL
Previous Meetings
Manchester United 2-2 Benfica
Benfica 1-1 Manchester United
Manchester United 3-1 Benfica
Benfica 0-1 Manchester United
Benfica 2-1 Manchester United
All-Time Record
Manchester United wins - 6
Benfica wins - 1
Draws - 2
Pre-Match Pressers
José Mourinho
Rui Vitória
Team News
Manchester United
Zlatan Ibrahimović and Paul Pogba are ruled out. Marcos Rojo and Luke Shaw in travelling squad.
Benfica
André Almeida is suspended.
Know the opposition
Sport Lisboa e Benfica, commonly known as Benfica (and nicknamed Águias: Eagles or Encarnados: Reds), is a Portuguese football club based in Lisbon, Portugal - playing in The Primeira Liga on the domestic level. Benfica was ranked twelfth in the FIFA Club of the Century, and ranked ninth in "Europe's Club of the Century" by IFFHS. As of the end of the 2016–17 season, Benfica is ranked ninth in the UEFA club coefficient rankings – the best position of a Portuguese club – and has the second most participations in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League.
The club was founded in 1904, under the name of Sport Lisboa; the same year, they merged with Grupo Sport Benfica and changed their name to Sport Lisboa e Benfica. Shortly after the Portuguese league was officially formed in 1934, Benfica emerged as its most dominant team, clinching three consecutive titles from 1936 to 1938. By the end of the 50s, their trophy cabinet was home to 9 Primeira Liga titles and 10 Taça de Portugal trophies.
It was, however, in the '60s where Benfica started making a name for itself on the European stage. Led by the incredible Eusébio and Coluna, Benfica were the first team to halt Real Madrid's streak of five consecutive European Cup victories, claiming the trophy for themselves in 1961. They repeated as champions the following year, while also making three more finals throughout the decade - most notably against Matt Busby's Manchester United at the Wembley Stadium in 1968. Domestically, Benfica destroyed the opposition and stormed to 8 Primeira Ligas and 3 Taça de Portugals by the end of the decade. In 1965, Eusébio made history by becoming the only player to win a Ballon d'Or while playing for a Portuguese club.
Since Rui Vitória's appointment in 2015, the club has won 3 consecutive league titles, with an all-time record of 88 points from 34 matches, as well as 2 Taça de Portugal, 2 Taça da Liga, and 3 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira Cups. This season, however, they have suffered a slight dip following the departures of the likes of Gaitán (finally), Ederson, Semedo, Lindelöf, Guedes and Sanches in recent years. Benfica have two major historic rivals on the domestic front: cross-town club Sporting (matches between the two are termed Derby de Lisboa) and FC Porto (matches between the two are termed O Clássico). Benfica play their home games at the Estádio da Luz.
Referee
Felix Zwayer.
