BENFICA SET TO TRASH MAN UTD IN THE 2ND LEG, OF THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Manchester United made it three Group A wins out of three at SL Benfica on matchday three and could wrap up a place in the round of 16 when the teams reconvene at Old Trafford.
Marcus Rashford scored the only goal in Lisbon, giving United a nine-point cushion over their opponents and keeping José Mourinho's team three points clear at the top of the section.
United will qualify if they win and PFC CSKA Moskva fail to beat second-placed FC Basel 1893 in the other matchday four game, or if United draw and CSKA lose.
Bottom side Benfica, who have lost all three matches, will be unable to finish in the top two if they lose and Basel avoid defeat, or if Benfica draw and Basel win.
MATCH BACKGROUND
United are unbeaten in their 12 games at home to Portuguese visitors (W9 D3). The most recent encounter was a 3-2 victory over SC Braga in the 2012/13 group stage.
United were 4-1 winners at CSKA Moskva on matchday two, having overcome Basel 3-0 at Old Trafford in their first Group A fixture.
The Red Devils are unbeaten in 19 European home matches (W15 D4), going back to a 2-1 home loss to Real Madrid CF in the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg. The 1-1 draw with RC Celta de Vigo in last season's UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg (2-1 aggregate) halted a six-game winning home run.
This is United's fifth European fixture this term, which started with the 2-1 loss to Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup in Skopje on 8 August. That ended United's 11-match unbeaten streak (W8 D3) since a 2-1 reversal at Fenerbahçe SK on matchday four of last season's UEFA Europa League. The defeat in Istanbul had been their fifth in nine European games.
The Madrid loss is United's only reverse in their last 15 European matches, home and away (W11 D3).
This is United's 21st campaign in the UEFA Champions League group stage, and only four times have they failed to make the next round. Two of those eliminations came in their last four participations; the English club finished third in their section in both 2011/12 and 2015/16, their last appearance.
United completed a clean sweep of European trophies with victory in last season's UEFA Europa League. The win against AFC Ajax in Stockholm added to their European Cup triumphs of 1968, 1999 and 2008 and their 1991 European Cup Winners' Cup success
Benfica
Benfica have suffered their biggest UEFA Champions League defeat in going down 5-0 at Basel on matchday two.
Benfica have played 35 games against English clubs in UEFA competition; their record is W11 D6 L18 (W4 D2 L10 in England). In addition to their 1968 European Cup final defeat by United, they also lost the 2013 UEFA Europa League final in Amsterdam, 2-1 to Chelsea FC.
The Eagles' last trip to England was a 3-1 win away to Tottenham Hotspur FC in the 2013/14 UEFA Europa League round of 16 first leg, setting up a 5-3 aggregate triumph.
Portuguese double winners in 2016/17, Benfica are in the UEFA Champions League group stage for the 13th time – and the eighth season running.
The Lisbon outfit got to the quarter-finals in 2015/16 and again progressed from the group stage last year, losing 4-1 on aggregate to Borussia Dortmund in the round of 16.
Beaten 2-1 at home by PFC CSKA Moskva on matchday one, Benfica have won only one of their last seven European matches, home and away – the 1-0 victory against Dortmund in last season's round of 16 first leg – and have lost the last four.
The matchday three defeat was the first time Benfica have lost four successive European games; they had suffered three straight defeats on four previous occasions.
Having gone down 4-0 in Dortmund in last spring's last 16, Benfica have won only three of their last 14 away fixtures in Europe, losing seven. They picked up four points on their travels in last season's group st utd
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