Benfica travel to Basel, Switzerland, tomorrow, with a real opportunity of grabbing control of Champions League Group C.
Still unbeaten in 2011/12, the Portuguese giants have been solid rather than spectacular for the most part this season. Coach Jorge Jesus has toned down his gung-ho attitude somewhat, particularly in big games and European away fixtures, opting for a 4-2-3-1 formation instead of his previously favoured 4-4-2.
Impressive draws against Manchester United and FC Porto and a win away at Otelul Galati – the first away victory in the Champions League for Jorge Jesus – suggests the tactical switch has paid off.
But it will be no easy task against Swiss champions Basel, who made all of Europe sit up and take notice after coming desperately close to beating Manchester United in a thrilling 3-3 draw in the previous round of matches.
“We have shown that we can compete with the best and we will look to do the same against Benfica,” said the Basel captain, Marco Streller.
However, it remains to be seen whether the sudden departure of coach Thorsten Fink for German outfit Hamburg this week has damaged Basel’s early momentum. Caretaker coach Heiko Vogel will be in the dugout and Benfica will be keen on taking advantage of any instability.
Not that Benfica boss Jesus is expecting anything other than a tough encounter. “We’re going to face powerful opponents who are very strong when playing at home. The result this team got in England showed how good they are and aroused the curiosity of the less attentive. I already knew that Basel was a team with a lot of quality,” said Jesus.
Benfica’s only injury concern is holding midfielder Javi Garcia. Should the Spaniard fail a late fitness test Nemanja Matic will step into the breach. With Oscar Cardozo, Nolito and Bruno Cesar in fine goalscoring form, and Basel having the best attack in Group C thus far, it could be an exciting evening at the St. Jakob-Park Stadium.
The match kicks off at 8.45pm local time on Tuesday.
Impressive draws against Manchester United and FC Porto and a win away at Otelul Galati – the first away victory in the Champions League for Jorge Jesus – suggests the tactical switch has paid off.
But it will be no easy task against Swiss champions Basel, who made all of Europe sit up and take notice after coming desperately close to beating Manchester United in a thrilling 3-3 draw in the previous round of matches.
“We have shown that we can compete with the best and we will look to do the same against Benfica,” said the Basel captain, Marco Streller.
However, it remains to be seen whether the sudden departure of coach Thorsten Fink for German outfit Hamburg this week has damaged Basel’s early momentum. Caretaker coach Heiko Vogel will be in the dugout and Benfica will be keen on taking advantage of any instability.
Not that Benfica boss Jesus is expecting anything other than a tough encounter. “We’re going to face powerful opponents who are very strong when playing at home. The result this team got in England showed how good they are and aroused the curiosity of the less attentive. I already knew that Basel was a team with a lot of quality,” said Jesus.
Benfica’s only injury concern is holding midfielder Javi Garcia. Should the Spaniard fail a late fitness test Nemanja Matic will step into the breach. With Oscar Cardozo, Nolito and Bruno Cesar in fine goalscoring form, and Basel having the best attack in Group C thus far, it could be an exciting evening at the St. Jakob-Park Stadium.
The match kicks off at 8.45pm local time on Tuesday.
