Benfica vs PSG – Preview, H2H, Line-ups, Prediction | UCL 2022-23

Lionel Messi of PSG against Reims
Lionel Messi of PSG against Reims - IMAGO / ANP

PSG will look to continue their dominant start to the season when they travel to Portugal to face Benfica in the third group round of the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League

Venue: Estádio da Luz (Lisbon)

Key Statistics

Benfica are unbeaten in their last 15 games in all competitions (W14, D1).

They have scored 2+ goals in 12 of their 14 games this season.

The hosts have won all of their five home UCL matches against French opposition, including a 2-1 victory against PSG back in 2013. 

They have kept four clean sheets in their last five games in all competitions.

They have won each of their last seven games at home.

Paris Saint-Germain have only failed to win one competitive game this season (W11, D1).

They are unbeaten in their last 21 competitive games (W17, D4). 

PSG’s only win on Portuguese soil dates back to 2009 (W1, D1, L5) and was a 1-0 win against Braga.

Paris Saint-Germain’s trio of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar have scored 29 of PSG’s 37 goals this season, including 100% in the UCL (five).

Head to head

PSG have lost in their last three visits to Benfica stadium. In six meetings between both sides in Europe, PSG have recorded just two wins while Benfica have four wins.

Latest performances in all competitions

Benfica: D-W-W-W-W

PSG: W-W-W-W-W

Benfica 

Benfica will look to continue their impressive start to the new season when they welcome French heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain to Lisbon this Wednesday.

The hosts have enjoyed a remarkable start to the new season, winning all but one of the 14 competitive games they have played this season. They began the season with a 4-1 win over Danish Superliga side Midtjylland and since then; they have not looked back.

Since their first official game of the season, only one club has been able to stop them from scoring or taking maximum points from a game. That club is Guimaraes whom they played last weekend in a goalless draw. 

After the game, Benfica’s coach Roger Schmidt insisted he was not “worried about the result” ahead of this meeting with PSG who they share the top of the table on points scored. The only reason the French side are ranked number one is that they have discord more goals than Schmidt’s side.

Having beaten both Haifa (2-0) and Juventus (2-1) they will fancy their chances of beating the biggest team in Group H as they attempt to qualify for the next round of the UCL in their second consecutive season. 

Their return to the Estádio da Luz should give them some confidence to get a good result, given they’ve won their last seven competitive games in this stadium. They have also won all of their five home UCL matches against French opposition, including a 2-1 victory against PSG back in 2013.

Possible Benfica starting line-up

Odisseas Vlachodimos; Gilberto, Antonio Silva, Nicolas Otamendi, Alejandro Grimaldo; Enzo Fernandez, Florentino Luis; David Neres, Rafa Silva, Julian Draxler; Petar Musa.

Injured: João Victor, Lucas Verissimo, Tomas Tavares, Morato

Doubtful: None 

Suspended: None 

PSG

Paris Saint-Germain continued their brilliant start to the season at the weekend as they beat Nice 1-0 to retain the top spot in the French Ligue 1 and also maintain their unbeaten start to life under Christophe Galtier.

The French giants have won both of their opening UCL games by a combined scoreline of 5-2 to stay on top of this group. 

They will travel to Lisbon in good shape, having won each of their last seven games in all competitions and have scored 2+ goals in five of those games. 

However, a visit to Estadio da Luz always represents a tough test for the Parisians who have lost each of their last three visits to this ground. But with the trio of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe firing on all cylinders, Galtier can expect his side to come out on top when they visit Lisbon. 

Possible PSG starting line-up

Gianluigi Donnarumma; Danilo Pereira, Sergio Ramos, Marquinhos; Achraf Hakimi, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz, Nuno Mendes; Lionel Messi; Kylian Mbappe, Neymar.

Injured: Presnel Kimpembe, Renato Sanches, Timothee Pemble

Doubtful: None 

Suspended: Marco Verratti

Prediction

Benfica 2-2 PSG