Spartka Moscow vs Benfica

Spartak Moscow and Benfica will exchange tackles at the Otkrytiye Arena in the first leg of their blockbuster UEFA Champions League qualifying tie.

Newly-appointed Spartak boss Rui Vitoria has endured mixed fortunes at the beginning of his life in Russia (W1, L1), with both results (win/loss) yielding a goalless HT score followed by a 1-0 FT scoreline. Vitoria now goes up against his former employers Benfica, the same side he has faced 13 times before with little success (W2, D1, L10). Improving that record here would bolster Spartak’s hopes of reaching the Champions League group stages for the first time since 2017/18. However, the Russians lost both qualifying legs the last time they tackled Portuguese opposition back in 2019/20. Though this will be Spartak’s first competitive home match in 2021/22, a return of four wins and two losses from six home games in all competitions this calendar year is a pattern.

Meanwhile, Benfica did well in the off-season campaign, winning five out of seven warm-up fixtures while drawing the other two. With Jorge Jesus in charge, the Portuguese giants have reached the European grand finals twice in the past decade, which comes as a massive confidence boost ahead of this trip. However, the ‘Eagles’ have picked up just a single triumph in their last six European qualifying fixtures on the road under this manager (W1, D2, L3), all of which saw both teams on the scoresheet. Benfica’s all-time European record versus Russian sides is quite balanced (W8, D4, L8), with 60% of those encounters seeing one or both teams fail to find the back of the net. On the bright side, the visitors have racked up a seven-match winning streak away from home heading into this clash.