The opening leg at Estadio da Luz last week had ended 4-1 in favour of Benfica courtesy of Goncalo Ramos’ hat-trick and one goal from Enzo Fernandez.
Follow Us
FC Midtjylland will host Benfica in the second leg of the Champions League third round qualifier at the AutoC Park Randers on Tuesday night. The opening leg at Estadio da Luz last week had ended 4-1 in favour of Benfica courtesy of Goncalo Ramos’ hat-trick and one goal from Enzo Fernandez. Meanwhile the Danish outfit pulled one back through Piano Sisto. The hosts are heading into the match on the back of a 3-3 draw at Lyngby in a Danish Superliga fixture last Friday, while Benfica thrashed Arouca 4-0 in their 2022-23 Primeira Liga opener a day later.
Play-off round draw set ✅
Who’s going through to the group stage❓? Games: 16/17 & 23/24 August#UCLdraw | #UCL pic.twitter.com/ZlWaFnghwa
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 2, 2022
Midtjylland are already four games into their domestic season, having registered one win, two defeats and a draw so far. The Danish outfit overcame AEK Larnaca over two-legs in the Champions League second leg qualifier to reach this far. In their previous outing against Lyngby, goals from Sory Kaba, Nikolas Dyhr and Anders Dreyer helped them earn a point. Rasmus Ankersen’s side have it all to do if they are to remain in Europe’s elite competition. The Wolves had finished second in the Danish Superliga last term to secure a place in the Champions League qualifiers.
Benfica, on the other hand, finished third in the Portuguese top division standings last time around to book a place in the third round of Champions League qualification. The Portuguese outfit had reached the quarterfinals of Champions League last term and lost to eventual finalists Liverpool over two legs. Roger Schmidt’s side began their new league season with a thumping victory against Arouca, putting four goals past the Arouquenses without reply. Rafa Silva netted a brace, while Gilberto Junior and Fernandez scored one goal each to earn three points. The Eagles have one foot firmly in the group stage of the Champions League.
Read more:
Midtjylland midfielder Evander is sidelined with an injury, therefore 21-year-old Raphael Onyedika is likely to start in the middle of the park. First leg’s goalscorer Sisto is expected to join Kaba and Dreyer up front. As for Benfica, defender Lucas Verissimo is nursing a cruciate ligament injury. Last week’s hat-trick hero Ramos is expected to lead the line with Mario and Neres occupying the flanks. Luis and Fernandez could sit in front of the back-four.
Midtjylland probable starting lineup: Olafsson; Dalsgaard, Sviatchenko, Juninho; Andersson, Onyedika, Sorensen, Dyhr; Dreyer, Kaba, Sisto
Benfica probable starting lineup: Vlachodimos; Gilberto, Otamendi, Morato, Grimaldo; Luis, Fernandez; Neres, Silva, Mario; Ramos
The Champions League qualification match between PSV and Monaco will take place at AutoC Park Randers on Tuesday at 11:15 pm IST.
| Midtjylland vs Benfica | Key details |
| Date | August 9 |
| Venue | AutoC Park Randers |
| Kickoff time in Portugal | 6:45 pm |
| Kickoff time Denmark | 7:45 pm |
For the football fans in Portugal, live telecast of the match is available on Sport TV network. Meanwhile for those in Denmark, they can catch the live action via viaplay Denmark and TV3 + HD.
