(Football news) It might not be the most glamorous of ties in the Champions League Round of 16 but both Benfica and Ajax have a lot to prove when the two sides clash at the Estadio da Luz. Having finished second in Group E, hosts Benfica will face a difficult challenge against Ajax who were rampant at the group stages and didn’t drop a single point. Most would have predicted that FC Barcelona would have qualified behind Bayern Munich in Group E but Benfica managed to secure crucial wins against the Catalan giants and Dynamo Kiev to secure qualification in the knockout stage.
Nelson Verissimo is hoping to guide Benfica to their first quarter finals since the 2015-2016 season but the results overall haven’t been convincing enough. The Portuguese giants have won five of their last ten games under the 44 year old manager and recently drew 2-2 against Boavista. However, Benfica haven’t failed to score a goal at the Estadio da Luz in any competition since October and it’s quite likely that they will be on the scoresheet yet again. However, it remains to be seen if they will concede any goals at their home stadium, especially against a free flowing Ajax team who were one of only three sides to progress past the group stage with a perfect record.
Despite the speculation linking him to a managerial position at Manchester United, Ajax manager Erik Ten Hag will undoubtedly be fully focused on maintaining his team’s form in Europe’s elite club competition. Sebastien Haller has already scored in every group stage match and is currently the top scorer in the Champions League with 10 goals and will be looking to add to that tally against Benfica. Moreover, Ajax has won each of their last 10 games in all competitions, conceding only one goal and it’s likely that the team could possibly be the dark horses in the Champions League this time around.
A number of Benfica players are walking on thin ice as Julian Weigl, Nicolas Otamendi, Joao Mario, Rafa Silva and Alex Grimaldo could miss the second leg of the match if they pick up a booking. It’s unlikely that a possible suspension could play a part in Nelson Verissimo’s team selection as Haris Seferovic, Rodrigo Pinho and Lucas Verissimo would be unavailable due to injuries. As for Ajax, Brian Brobbey and Maarten Stekelenburg remain unavailable for selection and Ten Hag might go for Andre Onana or rely on 38 year old Remko Pasveer in goal.
Despite Ajax being the in-form team, they will undoubtedly face a challenge against Benfica but the Dutch giants are expected to secure a win from this fixture, even if they don’t keep a clean sheet. Ten Hag will want a healthy lead going into the second leg of the fixture when the two sides meet once again at the Johan Cruijff ArenA.
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