Bayern vs Benfica live on November 2, 2021: An out-of-form Eagles face the rampant Bundesliga champions

November 2, 2021 By Ali M.

Topics: TV Schedules, Bayern Munich, Benfica, UEFA Champions League

The last time these two sides faced off was on Matchday 3, with the German giants marching to a 4-0 victory. Can Jorge Jesus' men get revenge at the Allianz Arena?

Preview

The UEFA Champions League is back! Matchday 4 of everyone's favorite European tournament gets underway on Tuesday, with eight fixtures set to be played today. One of the standout ties is Bayern Munich vs Benfica as Group E's top two sides gear up to do battle in a crucial fixture.

The Germans are all but strolling towards the knockout stage. The rampant Bundesliga champions boast a perfect record so far, picking up nine points thanks to three wins out of three. Not only that, but Lewandowski and Co. boast the best attack in the completion so far, netting 12 teams – a feat only Ajax (11 goals) come close to matching.

Furthermore, the Bavarians also boast the joint-best defense in the tournament as they are yet to concede a single goal, with only Juventus being able to match that feat. It's a similar story in the German top-flight as die Roten sit top of the Bundesliga table, netting a record 36 times after only 10 matches while boasting an impressive defensive record, albeit not the best in the league.

Bayern Munich head into this clash on the back of their 5-2 thrashing of Union Berlin, meaning confidence has been restored at the Allianz Arena after their shocking 5-0 defeat at the hands of Borussia M'gladbach in the DFB Pokal. However, that loss was a mere blip as the German giants won four out of their last five outings, scoring 4+ goals in all those ties.

So does this mean game over for Benfica? Not exactly so. The Portuguese giants beat Barcelona 3-0 as well, hence why they are second in the table, and held their own against Bayern Munich up until the 70th minute before falling apart. Jorge Jesus' men went on to lose that encounter 4-0, but with the Blaugrana moving within a point of the Primeira Liga heavyweights, they know they cannot afford to slip up once again.

Unfortunately, confidence is not at an all-time high at the Estadio da Luz. Benfica have won only once in their three subsequent fixtures. Furthermore, the Eagles have only two wins to their name from their last six games and, as a result, have dropped to third in their domestic lead.

Team news

Bayern Munich: A knee injury has ruled Lucas Hernandez out of this game while a heel issue continues to keep Leon Goretzka sidelined. Upamecano, who struggled in the 5-0 defeat to Borussia M'gladbach, is one yellow card away from suspension.

Benfica: Andre Almeida is unavailable for the visitors due to a muscle injury. Gil Dias and Valentino Lazaro remain on the path to recovery, meaning this fixtures comes too soon for them. Haris Seferovic and Rodrigo Pinho are also out of contention for this tie.

Key stats

This will be the 12th encounter between these two sides.
Benfica are yet to win a single games against their German rivals.
As mentioned earlier, Bayern Munich boast both the best attack (12 goals scored) and the joint-best defense (0 goals conceded) so far this season.
This will be Robert Lewandowski's 100th appearance in this competition. With 78 goals to his name, the Polish sensation could reach the 80-goal mark on Tuesday should he net a brace.