Preview: Portuguese giants will need a memorable night to go through to the knockout round
Benfica's name has generally been one that is associated with European Football, for many years now. With the UEFA Champions League Final being hosted at their stadium, the Portuguese side's hopes of making it to that final are now in the balance heading into Tuesday night's match.
Jorge Jesus' side has not started the new season very well, despite a number of new acquisitions in the squad. Apart from that, no key figures left from last season's roster, which has caused fans to question the manager.
When these two sides met in Paris, Laurent Blanc's squad made quick work of Benfica, scoring three goals in the first half. Fortunately for the Lisbon side, it appeared the Parisians let up in the second half, or things could have been much worst.
This time around, Benfica knows that they need to do better than Olympiakos, who will be taking on Anderlecht in Greece. If both sides win, the Greek Champions will finish second in the group.
But Jorge Jesus knows that even though PSG has opted to leave some of their big stars at home, his side needs to focus on their match, before they can worry about how Olympiakos does.
"We need to be aware of what could potentially happen in Greece," Jesus said in his press conference. "But football is not easy to predict, and sometimes we see results that we try to figure out how it all happened. There is always a glimmer of hope. But the important part is focusing on PSG. What does it matter if we focus on Olympiakos, if we are unable to do what we need to do, which is defeat PSG?"
One important factor for the home side heading into this match will be the absence of Ibrahimovic, Alex and even Thiago Silva, who have been left out of the squad, given their guaranteed spot at the top of the group.
Another important piece of information that may or may not help is the fact that no French side has ever won at the Estádio da Luz. PSG's last two visits to the Portuguese capital ended in 2-1 defeats.
And while PSG will be without some of their key players, Benfica will also be without Oscar Cardozo, who is still out with an injury. In his place will likely be Rodrigo and Lima, who have slowly started to find their form, but staying consistent has been a problem.
Where to watch this match - live stream, start time, TV channels, live scores
Watch Benfica vs PSG live on Tuesday, December 10, 2013:
In Canada at 14:45 ET on: Sportsnet World Online
In the UK at 19:45 BST on: Sky Sports Red Button, Sky Sports Events Centre
In the USA at 14:45 ET on: Fox Soccer 2Go, Fox Sports Florida, Fox Sports New Orleans, Fox Sports Ohio 2, Fox Sports West, Fox Sports Tennessee, Fox Sports Ohio, Fox Sports Carolinas, MASN2, MASN, Fox Sports South
If you are outside these viewing areas and want to watch this UEFA Champions League match, be sure to visit the Benfica vs PSG match page for full TV listings.
