Manchester United will face Benfica in the third round of match of the UEFA Champions League group stages. United are situated at the top of the table of Group A with two wins in previous two matches and they will be trying to win the match to stay at the top of the table. On the other hand, Benfica are situated at the bottom of the table with two defeats in two matches. They will be keen to get a win against United in their home group to stay in the contention to qualify for the next round.
United’s domestic form is also good till now. They are situated at second position in Premier League table behind Manchester City. They had drawn against Liverpool with a 0-0 scoreline at Anfield in the previous match. On the other hand, Benfica are in good position in the domestic league. They are now at third position in the domestic league table and had got a win with a margin of 1-0 in the previous weekend. They would try to keep their defense rock solid and then go for counter to destroy the United defense. All eyes will be on Jonas and Lukaku for Goals in this upcoming exciting contest.
Team News :
Benfica :
Benfica will be without Andre Almeida, Jardel and Rafa Silva due to injuries. Svilar will start at Goal for them. Douglas, Luisao, Dias and Grimaldo will be defending for Benfica. Zivkovic,Pizzi,Fejsa and Cervi will start in the midfield while Jonas and Jimenez will lead their forward line from the upfront.
Manchester United :
Eric Bailly will miss the clash due a sustained injury from the International Break. Maruoane Fellaini, Paul Pogba, Carrick will also be in the absentees’ list. Marcos Rojo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are recovering from injury, but still not fit to start a match, though they should be back soon.
De Gea will start at Manchester United Goal. Blind and Valencia will play as two side backs. Smalling and Jones will pair up in the central defense while Herrera and Matic will be given the duty of two defensive midfielders. Mata and Mkhitaryan will supply the ball to Lukaku and Rashford who will lead United from the upfront.
Possible Starting Eleven :
Benfica :(4-4-2)
Goalkeeper : Svilar
Defenders : Douglas, Luisao, Dias, Grimaldo
Midfielders : Zivkovic, Pizzi, Fejsa, Cervi.
Attackers : Jonas, Jimenez.
Manchester United:
Goalkeeper : De Gea
Defenders : Valencia, Smalling, Jones, Blind.
Midfielders : Herrera, Matic,Mata, Mkhitaryan.
Attackers : Lukaku, Rashford.
My Score Prediction :
Benfica 0-1 Manchester United
The Premier League giants have been in good form and might clinch the game with a goal, though it will as always expected to be a close encounter. The two teams will have to battle hard for the ball and it might be one moment of magic that might separate the winners from the losers.
It could be a close match. The visitors will not want to play similar to the way that they played against Liverpool, though they already have 6 points from a couple of games.
With Mourinho looking to regain some momentum after the goalless draw at Anfield, it will be interesting to see which team comes out on top in this one.
