The last time Benfica won a piece of European silverware was on May 2, 1962, when they defeated Puskas and his Real Madrid side 5-3 in Amsterdam for the European Cup. With the final of this season's Europa League set for the Amsterdam Arena, the Portuguese side feels it could be their time to shine in Europe once again.
Getting to the final is still a ways away, making Newcastle United their primary concern. The Magpies have not been able to enjoy themselves in the domestic campaign as they did so last season. Alan Pardew's side find themselves 15th in the Premier League, just three points above the relegation zone. Just for the sake of comparison, Newcastle finished fifth last season, giving them the opportunity to participate in the Europa League.
A significant drop in the league table this season has Pardew scratching his head, but the English side has been able to at least give their fans something to smile about on the European stage.
Playing to a scoreless draw in Russia against Anzhi, the return leg looked set for a similar finish, until a late goal from Papiss Cisse sealed the deal for Newcastle and sent them through to the next round.
Aware of the difficulty his side could face at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon on Thursday, Alan Pardew is confident that his squad can put together a solid performance, allowing them to leave the Portuguese capital with a positive result.
"This is a great test for us, against a big club like Benfica. Their players are confident and we know it will be difficult for us," said the Newcastle manager. "I believe we will need to present ourselves in a better way than we did against Manchester City. We can beat them at St. James Park, but for that, we will need to take home a positive result on Thursday."
Given Benfica's current run of form domestically, as well as in the Europa League, Newcastle could face an extremely difficult task on Thursday. The Portuguese League leaders have yet to lose in the Portuguese League, and they are coming off four consecutive victories in the Europa League.
While Benfica has an extremely potent offense, Newcastle has only managed to score three goals in their last six Europa League matches, while conceding three.
Benfica's Previous Matches
03-03-13 Beira-Mar 0-1 Benfica (Portuguese League)
03-07-13 Benfica 1-0 Bordeaux (Europa League)
03-10-13 Benfica 5-0 Gil Vicente (Portuguese League)
03-14-13 Bordeaux 2-3 Benfica (Europa League)
03-17-13 V. Guimaraes 0-4 Benfica (Portuguese League)
03-30-13 Benfica 6-1 V. Setubal (Portuguese League)
Newcastle's Previous Matches
03-02-13 Swansea 1-0 Newcastle (EPL)
03-07-13 Anzhi 0-0 Newcastle (Europa League)
03-10-13 Newcastle 2-1 Stoke City (EPL)
03-14-13 Newcastle 1-0 Anzhi (Europa League)
03-17-13 Wigan 2-1 Newcastle (EPL)
03-30-13 Manchester City 4-0 Newcastle (EPL)
Prediction
The last time Newcastle played a match in Lisbon, they did not get back on the plane very happy. They took on Benfica's Lisbon rival Sporting CP, and were defeated 4-1, leaving Alan Pardew hopeful that this Newcastle side can do somewhat better.
Newcastle has not won an away match since February 21st, when they defeated Metalist Kharkiv 0-1 in the second leg of the second round. Since then, they have played four away matches in all competitions, losing three and drawing one.
Heading into Thursdays match with such poor away form against a free flowing offense, Newcastle could really be in for a long night.
Benfica not only has three strikers in Rodrigo, Cardozo and Lima who can find the back of the net often, but they also have players out wide who can not only create and cause havoc, but they also can score if needed.
Players such as Ola John, Nico Gaitan and Salvio, who might miss the match, are capable of causing serious problems for Alan Pardew's back four.
Containing the Benfica offense will most certainly be their first priority, and if they can keep Jorge Jesus' side scoreless through the first 45, they will feel confident and accomplished. Failure to keep Benfica off the score-sheet in the first half could really be a big blow to Newcastle, especially when you look at Benfica's recent results at the Estadio da Luz.
From their last five at home in all competitions, Benfica has scored 17 goals and only conceded two. Those numbers are a good indication of how strong Benfica's squad is, especially in front of their fans, who will be out in full voice on Thursday night.
Benfica 2-0 Newcastle
