With a place in the last 16 of the Champions League, facing either Barcelona or Liverpool, Benfica and Monaco meet again in the second leg of their play-off clash on Tuesday evening at the Estadio da Luz.
The Portuguese giants left the Stade Louis II with a 1-0 win from the first leg last week and now face a rematch against an opponent who is facing a number of suspensions.
Latest Benfica vs Monaco squad information
While Monaco lost defensive midfielder Al-Musrati to a red card in the first leg, Benfica are now also without their number six, Florentino, who is suspended for picking up three yellow cards in the Champions League.
In addition, both Angel Di Maria and Tomas Araujo picked up injuries in the first leg – Di Maria replaced the injured Araujo before he himself was forced off with a muscle problem – and neither will be fit for the return leg.
The pair join Alexander Bah (ACL), Fredrik Aursnes (knee), Manu Silva (ACL) and Renato Sanches (muscle) in Benfica’s medical room. The hosts are also without Bruma, who scored in the previous game but is serving a suspension following a red card in Braga’s Europa League tie with Union SG last month.
Meanwhile, Al-Musrati's ill-advised red card in the first leg will surely see him suspended for one game, and Hutter will also be left with the absences of Denis Zakaria and Vanderson, both of whom picked up yellow cards in last Wednesday's game.
On the discipline front, it is good news that Christian Mawissa is back from suspension in last week's defeat, but Aleksandr Golovin has picked up an adductor injury and is out along with Jordan Teze (unspecified injury) and Folarin Balogun (shoulder injury).
With both Vanderson and Teze unavailable, Thilo Kehrer will have to return to right-back on Tuesday night, while Takumi Minamino could prove his worth after scoring a goal and providing two assists in a big win over Nantes.
Latest Benfica vs Monaco predicted lineup
Benfica:
Trubin; Santos, Otamendi, Silva, Carreras; Amdouni, Kokcu, Barreiro, Akturkoglu; Pavlidis, Cabral
Monaco:
Majecki; Kehrer, Salisu, Mawissa, Henrique; Camara, Coulibaly; Akliouche, Ben Seghir, Minamino; Biereth
Latest Benfica vs Monaco football review
With his sixth goal of the 2024-25 Champions League, Benfica's Greek centre-forward Vangelis Pavlidis chipped the ball past Monaco's Radoslaw Majecki with remarkable composure to give the Portuguese side a narrow first-leg win in the Principality.
Bruno Lage's men were also helped by the stupidity of Monaco midfielder Al-Musrati, who despite being cautioned got himself sent off by waving his arms for an imaginary yellow card. The Portuguese giants could hardly have been in a better position both domestically and internationally, given their current form.
The narrow win over Monaco marked Benfica's fourth in a run of five straight wins in all competitions, with Lage also overseeing a 1-0 Primeira Liga win over Santa Clara on Saturday thanks to Bruma's only goal, but Sporting Lisbon remain the most formidable side at the top of the table.
The Eagles are still a point off the top of the table though and are currently chasing a sixth straight win, something they have not done since January 2024, an effort that will likely be aided by their strong attacking style of play at home in recent times.
In fact, Lage's men have scored at least three goals in their last four games at the Estadio da Luz in all competitions, although one of those also saw them lose 5-4 to Barcelona in a dramatic Champions League game, meaning they have won just one of their last eight home games in the competition.
Benfica's struggles in the Champions League may pale in comparison to Monaco's dismal away form over the winter, with Adi Hutter's side having lost their last four games and winning just one of their last ten away games.
Even that win was against a weak Union Saint-Jean in the Coupe de France, and Les Monegasques are now in danger of failing to score in three consecutive away games in the Champions League for the first time since 2014, when the third match in that run was a 1-0 defeat to Benfica.
Monaco, however, found their scoring form again on Saturday night, as Nantes travelled to the Stade Louis II in Ligue 1 and were thrashed 7-1; Hutter's side actually went behind in the fourth minute before inflicting a nightmare on Les Canaris after they were reduced to 10 men.
New signing Mika Biereth shone with a superb hat-trick, the second goal of his career since joining from Austria's Sturm Graz; a thought for Arsenal, who let the hotshot striker leave their academy last year.
Biereth's killer instinct will be essential if Monaco are to reverse their poor run against Benfica; if the Ligue 1 side fail to turn things around in Portugal, they will become the fifth team the Eagles have faced in Europe without ever winning, more than any other side.
Latest Benfica vs Monaco score prediction
Based on the above football comments, we and the world's leading football sites have given the following results for the Benfica vs Monaco match:
- Sportsmole: Benfica 1-1 Monaco
- WhoScore: Benfica 2-1 Monaco
- Our prediction: Benfica 2-2 Monaco
When and where to watch Benfica vs Monaco live?
To watch the Benfica vs Monaco match live in the Champions League at 3:00 a.m. on February 19, viewers can watch it on K+ Sport, K+PM or online sports channels. Wish you all have fun watching football.
Source: https://baodaknong.vn/nhan-dinh-du-doan-benfica-vs-monaco-hoa-ca-lang-243072.html
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