The hosts have lost both their Group D games so far and are languishing at the bottom of the four-team table, while La Real have taken four points from their two outings and are sitting at the top of the standings.
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Benfica will be looking to get their first Champions League points on board when they play host to Real Sociedad at Estadio da Luz on Tuesday night. The hosts have lost both their Group D games so far and are languishing at the bottom of the four-team table, while La Real have taken four points from their two outings and are sitting at the top of the standings, level on points with second-placed Inter Milan and one point clear of RB Salzburg. The Eagles are heading into the match on the back of a dominant 4-1 victory over SC Lusitania in their Portuguese Cup third round fixture on Friday, while the visitors secured a narrow 1-0 La Liga-win over Mallorca at the weekend.
𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛𝗗𝗔𝗬! 🦅#UCL #SLBRSO pic.twitter.com/iE9Z6bkNdb
— SL Benfica (@SLBenfica) October 24, 2023
Benfica were touted to be one of the favourites to go through from Group D alongside Inter Milan, but the Portuguese outfit have struggled to get going in the Champions League thus far. The Eagles suffered a surprise 2-0 defeat against 10 men Salzburg on matchday one before losing away to Inter Milan. Marcus Thuram’s lone goal in the second-half separated the two sides at San Siro and handed Roger Schmidt’s side only their third defeat across all competitions this season. Nevertheless, the Eagles went into the international break on the back of a narrow 1-0 league over Estoril. Schmidt’s side then thrashed Lusitania 4-1 on Saturday to go through to the fourth round of the Portuguese Cup thanks to one goal each from Joao Mario, Rafa Silva, Arthur Cabral and Tiago Gouveia. It was their ninth victory from 12 games in all competitions this season.
Real Sociedad, on the other hand, kicked off their continental campaign with a 1-1 draw against Italian giants Inter, before beating Salzburg 2-0 in Austria. La Real had Mikel Oyarzabal and Brais Mendez’s goals in the opening 30 minutes to thank for the early advantage, and they held on until the final whistle. Although, the White and Blues suffered a 2-1 league-defeat at Atletico Madrid before the international break, they quickly bounced back with a 1-0 win over Mallorca last Saturday thanks to Brais Mendez’s lone goal in the second-half. It was their fifth top flight victory of the campaign and Imanol Alguacil’s side are currently occupying fifth spot in the Spanish top flight standings, with 18 points to their name from 10 matches.
Benfica probable starting lineup: Trubin, Aursnes, Silva, Otamendi, Bernat, Neves, Kokcu, Neres, Silva, Marlo, Musa
Real Sociedad probable starting lineup: Remiro, Traore, Zubeldia, Le Normand, Munoz, Mendez, Merino, Zubimendi, Barrenetxea, Oyarzabal, Fernandez
Benfica
| Opponents | Score |
| SC Lusitania | 1-4 (W) |
| Estoril | 0-1 (W) |
| Inter Milan | 1-0 (L) |
| FC Porto | 1-0 (W) |
| Portimenense | 1-3 (W) |
Real Sociedad
| Opponents | Score |
| Mallorca | 1-0 (W) |
| Atletico Madrid | 2-1 (L) |
| Salzburg | 0-2 (W) |
| Athletic Bilbao | 3-0 (W) |
| Valencia | 0-1 (W) |
The UEFA Champions League fixture between Benfica and Real Sociedad will take place at Estadio da Luz on Wednesday at 12:30 am IST.
| Benfica vs Real Sociedad | Key Details |
| Date | October 24 (Portugal) |
| Venue | Estadio da Luz |
| Kickoff time in Portugal | 8:00 pm (Tuesday) |
| Kickoff time in Spain | 9:00 pm (Tuesday) |
| Kickoff time in India | 12:30 am (Wednesday) |
The live telecast of the Champions League matches in India will be available on Sony Sports network. Besides, football fans in India can also live stream the game through Sony LIV. Meanwhile, those in Portugal can catch the game on TVI network, Eleven Sports 2 Portugal and DAZn Portugal and football fans in Spain can catch the live action via Movistar network.
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