Hertha Berllin vs Benfica Match Preview
Hertha Berlin qualified second out of the group stage behind Sporting Lisbon. Having defeated Sporting 1-0 at the Olympiastadion during group play prepares Hertha Berlin for the level of football to be expected from Benfica, but Hertha will have to be everything that they are not in the Bundesliga, where Hertha lay at the cellar 7 points away from safety. Hertha also played Benfica in last season’s UEFA group play with teams splitting the score 1-1 in Berlin. Hertha last played in the round of 32 in the 05/06 season and they were eliminated by the Romanian side FC Rapid Bucharest. In December, Hertha signed Georgian international Levan Kobiashvili from FC Schalke 04 to add experience to the team. The Bulgarian forward Valeri Domovchiyski leads the team with 3 goals in this competition and Colombian striker Gustavo Ramos has 6 goals in league play. Ramos scored the equalizer on Saturday in a 1-1 tie at home versus Mainz. This result extends Hertha’s stay in the relegation zone and Friedhelm Funkel’s side must collect a positive result against Benfica to alleviate the increasing scrutiny.
SC Benfica clearly finished atop of Everton in the group stage. The 2-time European champions are in first place in the Portuguese league, 1 point in front of second place Braga and 9 points ahead of third place and annual contender FC Porto. On Saturday, Benfica defeated Belenenses 1-0 with a goal from Paraguayan forward Óscar Cardozo. The forward has 5 goals in the Europa League and forms a dangerous tandem with the Argentine world-trekker Saviola, who has 6 goals for the Lisbon side. Also in recent play, Benfica confirmed their present dominance over the other Lisbon powerhouse, Sporting Lisbon. Benfica defeated them 1-4 in the semifinal of the League Cup and advanced to the final. Benfica are in great shape to obtain a decisive result in Berlin and it remains to be seen if Hertha can put aside their problems in the domestic league and are able to postpone who advances to the round of 16 until the return leg in Lisbon.
