Benfica legend says Angel Di Maria could be key to success vs. Bayern Munich

Benfica legend Nuno Gomes is one of many people who are absolutely fired up to see the Portuguese club take on Bayern Munich in Champions League.

“As a Benfica fan I always want Benfica to win. I know it’s difficult but it’s not impossible. Bayern are an excellent team, very strong and when they play at home they want to take control of the game from the start .Benfica will have to be strong defensively and try to do as much as possible to prevent Bayern from scoring early in the game,” Gomes told Tz’s Philipp Kessler (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “Bayern press and defend strongly. They leave a lot of space behind the back line, but they also have strong and experienced defenders. Di Maria is a very intelligent player, technically strong and could make a difference. Pavlidis and Aktürkoğlu are also very dangerous when they get space to show their qualities.”

For Gomes, another central figure in the match will be Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

“For me he is still one of the best goalkeepers in the world and one of the reasons why Bayern are so good. I hope he is not at his best against Benfica because I think that Benfica will create some chances,” noted Gomes. “I’m not good at predictions, but I would like Benfica to get a good result. I think Bayern are favorites but a draw would be a good result for Benfica. I predict 2-2 because I like to see goals.”

Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s future Champions League match with Benfica, along with a reaction to Bayern Munich drawing Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal? How about our take on the latest news on Joshua Kimmich, Jamal Musiala, Leroy Sané and Alphonso Davies – and what could happen if Bayern actually find a way to ink them all? Great, check out our Bavarian Podcast Works — Flagship Show on Patreon, Spotifyor below: