Preview: Monaco vs. Benfica – prediction, team news, lineups

Strong starters Monaco welcome to an in-form Benfica side to Stade Louis II on matchday five Champions League Wednesday evening.

Both recorded domestic wins at the weekend and look set to reach the knockout rounds of this competition.

Match preview

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After a blip against Angers at the start of the month, Monaco have responded brilliantly Adi Hutter‘s men now on a three-game winning streak.

Monaco beat Bologna on the fourth matchday to take them up to third halfway through this Champions League stage campaign, with only 100% Liverpool and Sporting Lisbon above them.

Since the success at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, Monaco have won 3-1 away to a normally strong Strasbourg and 3-2 at home to Brest at the weekend, meaning they have taken 26 points from a possible 36. in Ligue 1 so far.

Home form has been a big factor in their success domestically and on the continent, with just one defeat in nine games here so far this season, a run that includes a win over Barcelona.

Before the start of this campaign, Monaco were on a 14-game winless run in the Champions League, but after six years away, they have bounced back in fine fashion with 10 points from their first four games, winning three at this stage of a UCL season for just the second time – having also done so in 1997-98.

This will be just the third time the two clubs have met, with the first two coming back in the group stages of this competition in 2014, and although Monaco came out on top and Benfica finished bottom of that section, the Portuguese club took four points from . their upcoming opponents keeping clean sheets in both.

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Benfica have not been so convincing in the domestic market and in the UCL so far, but they are improving all the time Bruno Lagewhich has been of great importance since the replacement Roger Schmidt.

The visitors thumped Atletico Madrid 4-0 on matchday two but have since lost at home to Feyenoord and narrowly away to Bayern Munich last time out, meaning they have dropped from joint top to 19th.

However, following their trip to Bayern, Benfica have been brilliant, beating Porto 4-1 to close the gap on them and the Champions League places, to only two pointsbefore hammering Estrela 7-0 in the cup at the weekend, taking Lage to 11 wins in his first 13 games in charge.

That should give them the inspiration to finally record a 50th UCL win, with Lages’ only two defeats since taking over, both coming in this competition in their last two outings.

But one hoodoo they have to overcome is the fact they have never won away in France in the Champions League – drawing three and losing five of eight visits.

Monaco Champions League form:

Monaco form (all competitions):

Benfica Champions League form:

Benfica form (all competitions):

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Monaco will be able to welcome Lamin Camara back in the starting XI here after he served a domestic ban at the weekend, meaning the hosts had to field their first-choice midfield after Denis Zakaria‘s healing from injury.

Caio Henrique saw his place in the side taken by teenager Christian Mawissa Elebi at the weekend, and who will start at left-back here, remains unclear, as the more experienced Brazilian also sat out the win over Bologna.

On the injury front, Folarin Balogun has been joined on the sidelines by Crepin Diatta recently, with both excluded from this one.

Benfica will be without a right back Alexander Bach after the Danish national team player broke his knee in a beating against Estrela at the weekend Tiago Gouveiathere is doubt, and Gianluca Prestianni on the treatment table.

Lage rested much of his first-choice XI for the cup win, but the manner of the success could see some keep their places in the side, including Angel Di Maria and Arthur Cabral.

Di Maria scored a hat-trick inside 18 minutes, meaning he now has five goals in his last two, but it is doubtful he could play twice in a week at the age of 36, while Arthur may see Vangelis Pavlidis take his place in the side despite scoring twice.

Turkish duo Kerem Akturkoglu and Orkun Kokcurecent portuguese call Tiago Araujoand goalkeeper Anatoly Trubin were also rested at the weekend, and had to return to the site in France.

Monaco possible starting line-up:
Majecki, Vanderson, Kehrer, Salisu, Caio Henrique; Zakaria, Camara; Akliouche, Golovin, Ben Seghir; Embolus

Benfica’s possible starting line-up:
Trubin; Kabore, Tiago Araujo, Otamendi, Fernandez; Aursnes, Florentino Luis, Kokcu; Di Maria, Pavlidis, Akturkoglu

We say: Monaco 1-1 Benfica

Monaco are winless in their last three home games against Portuguese clubs and while their form at the Stade Louis II has been brilliant and they sit third in the 36-team table, it will be a tough test.

That’s because Benfica’s recent performances have given them plenty to be comfortable with, frustrating Bayern for large periods, thrashing Porto and coming into seventh heaven at the weekend, so they will feel they can take something here.

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