It’s all sq. between Arsenal and Benfica as the 2 European heavyweights proceed their UEFA Europa League spherical of 32 tie in Athens after each sustaining their unbeaten runs on this season’s competitors with a 1-1 draw within the first leg at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico.
• Arsenal claimed most factors within the autumn from Group B, the place they did the double over Fast Wien, Dundalk and fellow qualifiers Molde, scoring 20 targets within the course of – probably the most ever by an English workforce in a UEFA Europa League group. The Portuguese giants additionally got here via their part undefeated, with three wins and three attracts, however needed to accept second place behind Rangers.
Earlier conferences
• Whereas Benfica have been obliged to guard their undefeated UEFA Europa League house file in Rome relatively than Lisbon, they managed to take action towards Arsenal, though the lead given to them by Pizzi’s penalty early within the second half lasted simply two minutes earlier than Bukayo Saka equalised.
• The golf equipment have been paired simply as soon as beforehand in UEFA competitors, Sven Göran Eriksson’s Eagles getting the higher of George Graham’s Gunners in a 1991/92 European Cup second spherical tie with a 3-1 comeback victory in further time in London after a 1-1 first-leg attract Lisbon, Benfica striker Isaías scoring thrice within the tie.
• Arsenal have received 5 of their seven earlier house matches towards guests from Portugal, that loss to Benfica 30 years in the past their solely defeat. They’ve confronted Portuguese sides within the every of their final two UEFA Europa League campaigns, drawing 0-0 at house to Sporting CP on Matchday 4 in 2018/19 and coming from behind twice to defeat Vitória SC 3-2 in London on Matchday 3 in 2019/20 because of a late Pepé double.
• That is simply the third two-legged tie Arsenal have been concerned in towards Portuguese opponents. Having misplaced the primary of them towards Benfica, they received the second, 6-2 on mixture towards Porto within the 2009/10 UEFA Champions League spherical of 16, with Nicklas Bendtner scoring a hat-trick within the second-leg 5-0 house win. That’s the Gunners’ most up-to-date last-16 success within the UEFA Champions League, the seven ties since having all resulted in defeat.
• The Lisbon membership’s file in two-legged ties towards English opposition is W5 L7, with victories within the two most up-to-date, each within the UEFA Europa League – towards Newcastle United within the 2012/13 quarter-finals (3-1 h, 1-1 a) and Arsenal’s native rivals Tottenham Hotspur within the 2013/14 spherical of 16 (3-1 a, 2-2 h).
• Benfica have received simply 11 of their 37 matches towards English golf equipment (D7 L19), shedding European finals to Manchester United (1968 European Cup, 1-4) and Chelsea (2013 UEFA Europa League, 1-2). Their 18 earlier UEFA encounters in England, together with that 1968 closing at Wembley Stadium, have yielded simply 4 wins – versus 12 losses. Their most up-to-date go to introduced a 2-0 defeat by United at Outdated Trafford within the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League group stage.
Type information
Arsenal
• Eighth within the 2019/20 Premier League, Arsenal ensured a twenty fifth consecutive season in Europe by successful the FA Cup beneath new supervisor Mikel Arteta – the membership’s file 14th triumph within the competitors – with a 2-1 victory over London rivals Chelsea within the closing. Their third successive UEFA Europa League marketing campaign was ended within the spherical of 32 by Olympiacos.
• UEFA Champions League ever-presents for 19 seasons in a row from 1998/99 to 2016/17, Arsenal reached the UEFA Europa League semi-finals on the first try in 2017/18, shedding to eventual winners Atlético de Madrid, earlier than going one step additional and making it to the 2018/19 closing, the place they have been defeated 4-1 by Chelsea in Baku. They’ve been group winners on all 4 UEFA Europa League appearances – an unprecedented feat – and this season grew to become the eleventh workforce within the competitors to high their part with most factors because of wins towards Fast (2-1 a, 4-1 h), Dundalk (3-0 h, 4-2 a) and Molde (4-1 h, 3-0 a).
• Arsenal received their first two UEFA Europa League spherical of 32 ties, towards Östersund (3-0 a, 1-2 h) and BATE Borisov (0-1 a, 3-0 h), earlier than succumbing final season to a late extra-time purpose at house to Olympiacos that eradicated them on away targets (1-0 a, 1-2 h).
• The Gunners’ general UEFA Europa League file on the Arsenal Stadium is W15 D3 L3. Final season’s defeat by Olympiacos ended a seven-match unbeaten house run within the competitors’s knockout part that included six victories
• Arsenal have received 4 of their ten earlier UEFA competitors encounters in Greece, shedding 5. Their file in video games towards Olympiacos on the Karaiskakis Stadium is W2 L3, the victories approaching the 2 most up-to-date visits.
• Arsenal have received 4 of the six UEFA ties during which they’ve drawn the away leg first, together with the 2 most up-to-date. Their file after a 1-1 scoreline is W2 L2, the primary of these two defeats that reverse towards Benfica again in 1991, the second a well-known 2003/04 UEFA Champions League quarter-final towards Chelsea, once they misplaced the second leg 1-2 at Highbury.
Benfica
• Runners-up to Porto within the 2019/20 Portuguese Liga and Taça de Portugal, Benfica’s bid to make it 11 successive appearances within the UEFA Champions League correct foundered on entry on this season’s third qualifying spherical when, beneath newly reappointed head coach Jorge Jesus, they misplaced 2-1 in Greece towards PAOK. They subsequently entered the UEFA Europa League group stage for the primary time because the competitors’s inaugural season of 2009/10.
• Benfica made a powerful begin to Group D, beating Lech Poznań 4-2 away and Customary Liège 3-0 at house earlier than drawing twice with Rangers (3-3 h, 2-2 a) and sealing additional progress with a 4-0 win over the Polish facet in Lisbon. Though comparatively unfamiliar with the UEFA Europa League group stage, Benfica have performed extra matches within the competitors’s knockout part than another membership (41) and have been runners-up in each 2012/13 (to Chelsea) and 2013/14 (to Sevilla) beneath Jesus.
• The Lisbon giants are showing within the spherical of 32 for the seventh time. They received their first 5 ties, remaining unbeaten in all ten matches, however have been unable to delay that unblemished file final season, going out to Shakhtar Donetsk (1-2 a, 3-3 h).
• The Eagles have received solely 4 of their final 22 European fixtures exterior Portugal, shedding 12, however they ended a run of three successive away defeats within the UEFA Europa League, all within the knockout part, by defeating Lech 4-2 in Poland on Matchday 1.
• Benfica’s file in Greece is W5 L6, this season’s defeat at PAOK tipping the steadiness within the favour of the host golf equipment. After successful their first match in Piraeus, they’ve misplaced on their final two visits, most lately happening 1-0 to Olympiacos within the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League group stage.
• Once they have drawn the primary house leg of a UEFA tie, Benfica have recorded six mixture wins and 7 losses. With a 1-1 scoreline their file is W4 L2, with wins within the final 4 such ties, notably the latest, which featured a 4-1 second-leg victory in Greece towards PAOK within the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League play-offs.
UEFA Europa League squad adjustments
• Arsenal
In: Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Ødegaard (Actual Madrid, mortgage), Mat Ryan (Brighton, mortgage)
Out: Sead Kolašinac (Schalke, mortgage), Matt Macey (Hibernian), Ainsley Maitland-Niles (West Brom, mortgage), Shkodran Mustafi (Schalke), Joe Willock (Newcastle, mortgage), Rúnar Rúnarsson
• Benfica
In: Branimir Kalaica, Lucas Veríssimo (Santos)
Out: Ferro (Valencia, mortgage), Jean-Clair Tobido (finish of mortgage)
Hyperlinks and trivia
• David Luiz, whose look within the first leg was his 99th in UEFA membership competitors, was a Benfica participant from January 2007 to January 2011, making 132 appearances for the Lisbon membership and successful the 2009/10 Portuguese Liga beneath present Eagles boss Jesus. After leaving Benfica the Brazilian defender performed towards them thrice in Europe for Chelsea, successful all three video games together with the 2012/13 UEFA Europa League closing in Amsterdam.
• Arsenal’s Spanish defender Pablo Marí was coached by Jesus at Flamengo in 2019, successful the Brazilian Série A title and the Copa Libertadores.
• Jan Vertonghen spent eight years in north London with Tottenham, accumulating 315 appearances in all competitions, earlier than becoming a member of Benfica final summer time, whereas fellow new defensive recruit Nicolás Otamendi arrived in Lisbon after 5 seasons at Manchester Metropolis, throughout which he received seven main trophies. The Argentinian defender was additionally a UEFA Europa League winner with Porto in 2010/11.
• Benfica midfielder Adel Taarabt spent the early a part of his profession in England, taking part in for 3 London golf equipment – Tottenham, Queens Park Rangers and Fulham.
• Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka and Benfica’s Haris Seferović are Switzerland team-mates.
• Benfica’s Luca Waldschmidt and Julian Weigl are fellow German internationals of Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
• Arsenal’s Portuguese worldwide Cédric performed in his homeland for Benfica’s Lisbon rivals Sporting CP in addition to Académica Coimbra.
• Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a hat-trick for Borussia Dortmund towards Benfica within the second leg of the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League spherical of 16, serving to the German membership to a 4-0 win and 4-1 mixture triumph.
• Benfica midfielder Pizzi is the main scorer on this season’s UEFA Europa League with seven targets.
• Benfica are one in every of six former European Cup winners on this season’s UEFA Europa League knockout part, the others being Ajax, Crvena zvezda, Manchester United, AC Milan and PSV Eindhoven.
• Benfica have been runners-up within the 1982/83 UEFA Cup in addition to the 2012/13 and 2013/14 UEFA Europa League, whereas Arsenal have been shedding finalists within the 1999/2000 UEFA Cup and 2018/19 UEFA Europa League. Each golf equipment have misplaced UEFA Europa League finals to Chelsea.
Penalty shoot-outs
• Arsenal’s file in 4 UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W2 L2:
4-5 v Valencia, 1979/80 European Cup Winners’ Cup closing
3-2 v Sampdoria, 1994/95 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final
1-4 v Galatasaray, 1999/2000 UEFA Cup closing
7-6 v Roma, 2008/09 UEFA Champions League spherical of 16
• Benfica’s file in 4 UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W2 L2:
4-1 v Torpedo Moskva, 1977/78 European Champion Golf equipment’ Cup first spherical
5-6 v PSV Eindhoven, 1987/88 European Champion Golf equipment’ Cup closing
4-1 v PAOK, 1999/2000 UEFA Cup second spherical
2-4 v Sevilla, 2013/14 UEFA Europa League closing
