Champions League betting offers including Manchester United to win at 25/1 Match Summary Benfica 0 - 0 Manchester United Champions League18/10/2017 19:45 Referee: Felix Zwayer|Venue: Estádio da Luz Auto update 8:09PM 21 min United free-kick after Jimenez barrels into Smalling late and mid air as the United centre-half was leaping to make a headed clearance. Salvio was lurking on the right and ready to pounce. Paid content The British Prime Minister And George Clooney Share More Than You Might Imagine The British Prime Minister And George Clooney Share More Than You Might Imagine Mansion Global [Gallery] Her Husband Vanished 6 Weeks After Their Wedding, 68 Years On She Uncovers The Truth [Gallery] Her Husband Vanished 6 Weeks After Their Wedding, 68 Years On She Uncovers The… OMG! Recommended by 8:07PM 19 min Benfica have untold problems but lacking promise is not one of them. Both full-backs look tasty as does Ruben Dias and young Diogo Goncalves. 8:05PM 17 min Svilar looks OK as far as fitness is concerned but flaps alarmingly at a Rashford corner, earning a reprieve because the referee thinks Lukaku was too rough in his challenge. 'Robust' is the current misnomer. 8:03PM 15 min Good run from Grimaldo, skinning Valencia and crossing low through the box, about 12 yards from goal. Salvio runs towards the ball from the penalty spot and slashes a shot, with the ball just behind him, wide. Pizzi, behind him, would have had a virtual tap-in if he'd dummied it. 8:02PM Time on ball (0 - 15 min) 8:02PM Benfica and Man Utd yet to find a way through Not much to do for either keeper at Estádio da Luz - Benfica and Man Utd keeping each other at bay. 8:01PM 13 min Svilar is down clutching his right hamstring but hasn't touched the ball for 10 minutes. Ruben Dias is also receiving ice pack treatment after clashing heads with Filipo Augusto. They wrap his head a la Paul Ince in Rome back in 1997, change his claret-streaked shirt and send him back on. 7:59PM 12 min A pair of corners for Benfica, both well defended, the first by a zealous and committed Mkhitaryan slide tackle by the touchline. 7:58PM 11 min Good tackle from Ruben Dias who sets Salvio off for a run up the right. He chips a cross towards the penalty spot where Raul meets it and has his header turned behind by Herrera. Not on target originally, I don't think. 7:56PM 9 min Pizzi holds back Mkhitaryan, fearing he was about to wriggle past and storm on to Benfica's back four. United free-kick in their own half. 7:55PM 7 min Lindelof strokes it about the back four until he knocks it up to Mata. Augusto snaps into him but he gets away, passes out to the right for Valencia who rolls it back for Matic. Mata holds his run, points and sprints down the inside-right channel but is flagged for offside. Not sure he was. 7:53PM 5 min A first touch for Svilar who comes out of his goal to head it clear. Luisao is booked for poleaxing Mkhitaryan with a flap of the arm that cracks him on the chin. Mkhitaryan was trying to nip under his armpit. It might be only two-thirds full but it's noisy - a lesson for most English Premier League clubs. 7:51PM 4 min But the ball's not sticking up front for United, as it did to Llorente for Spurs last night. Back come Benfica with Grimaldo getting to the byline up the left, crossing long and Douglas and Pizzi combine until Blind intervenes to get the ball away. 7:49PM 3 min Benfica take the throw and arc in a long cross to the back post where Salvio, for it is he again, has a wild lash at a very optimistic volley. only connecting when his leg is through 90 degrees, knocking it straight into Lindelof. United clear. 7:48PM 1 min Benfica kick off, go back to switch it up the right. Salvio trots up the touchline and wins a throw-in off Blind. 7:46PM A minute's silence For the victims of the Portuguese wildfires precedes kick-off. 7:43PM Out come the teams And we fall into line with the broadcasters - but first a word from sponsors@ 7:23PM Teams in black and white (for those of you watching in colour) Benfica Svilar; Douglas, Luisao, Dias, Grimaldo; Fejsa, Filipe Augusto; Salvio, Pizzi, Diogo Goncalves; Raul Jimenez. Substitutes Julio Cesar, Lopez, Samaris, Jonas, Seferovic, Zivkovic, Cervi. Benfica flag Credit: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Image Man Utd De Gea; Valencia, Lindelof, Smalling, Blind; Mata, Ander Herrera; Matic, Mkhitaryan, Rashford; Lukaku. Substitutes Romero, Jones, Martial, Lingard, Young, Darmian, McTominay. Referee Felix Zwayer (Germany) 7:06PM Dedication, that's what you need Mile Svilar, at 18 years and 52 days. becomes the youngest goalkeeper in Chanpions League history, overtaking Iker Casillas. 6:46PM Team news Benfica have brought in their teenage goalkeeper from Anderlecht, Raul Jimenez starts in place of Jonas, the Serbia defensive midfielder Ljubomir Fejsa comes in and 20-year-old Ruben Dias makes his Champions League debut at the back. It's as if they have already turned their eyes elsewhere. For United Victor Lindelof, Daley Blind, Juan Mata and Marcus Rashford come in from the Anfield XI, out go out go the cast of Parking the Buses: Philip Jones (Blakey), Matteo Darmian (Jack), Ashley Young (Stan) and Anthony Martial (Arthur). 6:37PM Good evening
It is irresistible, is it not, as the late Barry Norman was wont to question, to think of Benfica vs Manchester United and not think of George Best and his sombrero, Bill Foulkes’ goal in the first leg in 1966, Bobby’s headed goal in the royal blue at Wembley in 1968, Alex Stepney’s save from Eusebio, Best-Kidd-Charlton, Bobby with the the big-eared cup, Matt Busby’s eyes and Denis Law in his hospital bed. That one of the great European ties has such a compelling two-year rivalry at its heart always colours all that succeeds it but they have, of course, met subsequently in the years since the European Cup was diluted to make sure that all shall have prizes, at least in terms of financial rewards. Of those three group stage double-headers, United have won three, drawn two and lost one, the best of them the 3-1 victory in December 2006 that emphasised after a couple of years of toil and angst that Manchester United were back.
There is a palpable sense that we’re at that point again for United. By contrast Benfica may have won the Double last season, including their fourth successive title, but it seems their resourceful and richly rewarding strategy has finally caught up with them. In the past 10 years they have made more than £410m from player sales. In 2016 it was Renato Sanches, following David Luiz, Angel di Maria, Fabio Coentrao, Nemanja Matic, Andre Gomes, Bernardo Silva, Ramires, Axel Witsel, Lazar Markovic and Jan Oblak out of the Stadium of Light. United in training and pink bibs Daley Blind, Philip Jones, Nemanja Matic and Marcus Rashford enjoy a session at the Estádio da Luz on the eve of their Champions League Group A match Credit: Matthew Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images The latest batch to leave in the summer - Ederson (Man City), Victor Lindelof (Man Utd), Nelson Semedo (Barcelona) and Kostas Mitroglou (Marseille) - raised £130m while none of their recruits cost more than £2.5m and only the Bosman signing, Switzerland’s Haris Seferovic, has played regularly. It’s the Benfica way - buy young talent from South America and Eastern Europe at Moneyball prices, send them out on loan for a couple of years, stick them in the first team for one or two more and sell high. Draining the well again has left them struggling this season. They lost 2-1 at home against CSKA Moscow and were hammered 5-0 away by Basel in the last round of matches. With Ederson gone, Julio Cesar, who won the Champions League with Jose Mourinho at Inter in 2010, is back in goal at the age of 38 and Luisao, captain, leader, legend, is still helming the defence at the age of 36 alongside his compatriot Jardel. They can still call on Pizzi, the clever, wide playmaker and the free-scoring Jonas up-front but if Mourinho could have picked a perfect moment to take on his former club over the past five years after scoring three against Basel and banging in four in Moscow, this would be it.
