Preview: Benfica v Dynamo Kiev

Presented with a real opportunity to try to move Barcelona up to second place, Benfica play host to Kyiv Dynamo in wednesday Champions League Attachment of group E.

The Portuguese hosts are two points behind Barca in third with one game to go, while Mircea LucescuThe men are sure to finish last.

Match preview

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Amid reports claiming that Benfica were supposedly considering giving him the boot, Jorge jesus has been given a unique opportunity to condemn Barcelona to Europa League football, assuming the Catalan giants cannot shock Bayern Munich away from home.

After holding the Blaugrana to a goalless draw at Camp Nou last month, the Portuguese giants just have to win on Wednesday and hope Barcelona don’t improve their result to claim second place and fight their way to the round of 16 behind Bayern Munich.

Jesus’ men were outscored this weekend, however, as Primeira Liga champions Sporting Lisbon took a 3-0 lead at Estadio da Luz ahead Pizza came off the bench to score a consolation for Benfica in the sixth minute of added time in the second half.

That 3-1 loss to the league champions rather alarmingly marked Benfica’s third loss in their last five home games in all competitions – and they haven’t kept a clean sheet in five at the Estadio. da Luz – but Dynamo Kiev only play out of pride. Wednesday.

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Dynamo Kiev still faced an uphill battle to extend their continental run in the Champions League or Europa League, even with such a seasoned veteran of the game as 76-year-old Mircea Lucescu at the helm.

The Ukrainian giants took just one point out of a possible 15 in the squad and recently lost 2-1 to Bayern Munich, conceding to Kingsley coman and Robert lewandowski before Denys Garmash made it interesting with 20 minutes left.

Dynamo Kiev deserve credit for giving the Bundesliga champions a good run for their money in this meeting, but such praise goes to nothing in the standings with Lucescu’s men assured of finishing fourth and leaving the competition. this week.

Nine goals conceded in a squad with Barca and Bayern isn’t the worst tally, but Garmash’s strike against Bayern is the only goal the visitors have scored in Group E so far – only Malmö and his Ukrainian compatriot Shakhtar Donetsk also scored. only once during the 2021-22 competition.

Dynamo Kiev’s only point in the squad came at home against Benfica in a goalless draw in September, and a five-game winning streak on the road could well see them spoil the Portuguese party on Wednesday night.

Benfica Champions League form:

Benfica form (all competitions):

Dynamo Kiev Champions League form:

Dynamo Kiev form (all competitions):

Team news

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The tastes of Alex grimaldo, Nicolas Otamendi and Julien weigl are all within one reservation of incurring a one-game suspension, but Jesus is unlikely to heed that as he sets out in search of three potentially invaluable points this week.

Lucas verissimo, Diogo Gonçalves, Rodrigo Pinho and Nemanja Radonjic are all on the verge of missing due to injury, with Morato potentially substitute for the defense of the former as a André Almeida retrograde Valentino lazaro to the bench.

Pizzi’s consolation against Sporting may not be enough to see him return to the first XI, but Roman Yaremchuk will certainly expect to come back in the final third.

As for Dynamo Kiev, there are very few updates on the injury front, with forwards Artem Besedin, Vladyslav Supryaga and Ibrahim Kargbo Jr all absent once again.

Central defender Denys Popov is a long-term injury issue with his ruptured cruciate ligaments, and the Ukrainian squad are the only team in Group E not to have seen a player banned for a build-up of yellow cards.

Benjamin Verbique scored twice this weekend in a 3-0 victory at NK Veres Rivne, and Lucescu could reward the 28-year-old with another start here given nothing is at stake.

Possible starting line-up in Benfica:
Vlachodimos; Morato, Otamendi, Vertonghen; Almeida, Weigl, Mario, Grimaldo; Silva, Yaremchuk, Nunez

Possible starting lineup of Dynamo Kiev:
Bushchan; Karavaev, Zabarnyi, Shabanov, Mykolenko; Sydorchuk, Shaparenko; Tsygankov, Garmash, Verbique; Koulach

We say: Benfica 2-0 Dynamo Kiev

Dynamo Kiev can afford to play without fear at Estadio da Luz, but their lack of Champions League cruelty will likely cost them before they retire from the competition.

An expected triumph for Benfica could very well see them climb into the top two at Barcelona’s expense, and Jesus’ side should have no problem doing their part as the Catalans look to surprise Munich.

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