After months of waiting, the moment football fans worldwide has been eagerly anticipating is finally here: the group stage of the 2015/2016 UEFA Champions League. Just as in the previous editions, some new faces have decided to join the 32-team party, meaning that a few of the more established sides will be facing off against an opponent they have likely never encountered previously.
This year, Astana will be making their debut appearance in European competition, and the minnows will get their first taste of continental football when they face off against Benfica on Tuesday evening.
Benfica
Interestingly, despite all their domestic success, Benfica in recent times have failed to match this on the bigger stage, whether it's in the Champions League or the Europa League. New coach Rui Vitoria will be hoping to see his side redeem themselves in the continent's premier competition after finishing last in their group last season. With 2014 UCL runners-up Atletico Madrid and Turkish powerhouse Galatasaray for company in their quartet, Benfica will obviously need to get some points in the bank by completing a double over debutants Astana.
The hosts will be coming into this game having cruised to all three points in their domestic fixture this past weekend, and have an excellent home record in European competitions. In fact, in their last 14 games at their home ground, Benfica have only lost once - a 2-0 defeat to Russian titans Zenit - in the group stage last season. So, despite the determination and grit of Astana, Benfica are expected to seal all three points prior to taking on Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid in about two weeks' time.
Astana
No one expected Astana to get this far, but they did, and in doing so, made history in the process by becoming the first team from Kazakhstan to qualify for the UEFA Champions League group stages. Unlike their upcoming opponents, Stanimir Stoilov's men had to secure their spot the hard way, and powered past Maribor, HJK Helsinki, and APOEL in three play-off rounds. And not only are the Kazakh side the newest kids on the block, but also they are the youngest with a history only going back six years. In 2009, the team now known as Astana was founded as Lokomotiv Astana, with their current name only coming into existence in 2011.
Yet, despite this, Astana have quickly emerged as one of Kazakhstan's strongest teams, and have won five trophies thus far since being established six years ago. Although they have firmly established themselves in the Kazakhstan Premier League and enjoy an excellent record of just four losses in 34 games across all competitions, they are not expected to get out of their quartet, especially given the sides they have been grouped with.
To complicate matters, young striker Patrick Twumasi will have to miss this game due to suspension. Despite being just 21 years old, the Ghanaian international has netted 26 goals in 47 appearances in all competitions and will surely want to use the Champions League to showcase his talent to a larger audience. His absence does not bode well for the visitors, whose four losses have been all in away fixtures in European competition qualifiers. Nonetheless, they will also be coming into this game fresh off a hard-fought win against fellow Kazakh side Ordabsy and will be looking to further make history by scoring a goal in Tuesday's fixture.
This looks to be a clear case of David vs. Goliath, but anyone familiar with the Biblical tale is certainly aware of David and his slingshot. Will Astana be able to pull off what would be a shock upset? Or will Benfica, as expected, ease to a comfortable win ahead of their trip to Spain?
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