Benfica bid for Bayern turnaround

SL Benfica are looking to reach a first European Cup semi-final since 1990 but FC Bayern München will have other ideas as they travel to Lisbon with a fifth straight last-four appearance in their sights.

• It looked as if Bayern would take a firm grip on the tie when Arturo Vidal headed them in front in the second minute in Munich, but that was all they had to show for their efforts in a tight first leg.

Previous meetings
• The teams have met in three previous ties – and not only have Bayern won them all, they have gone on to reach at least the final of the competition on every occasion.

• The sides were first paired in the quarter-finals of the 1975/76 European Champion Clubs' Cup, a goalless first leg in Lisbon preceding Bayern's 5-1 win in Munich in which Bernd Dürnberger and Gerd Müller each scored twice and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge got the other Bayern goal.

• Bayern went on to defeat AS Saint-Étienne 1-0 in the final at Hampden Park, Glasgow – therefore claiming the trophy for the third year in a row.

• It was a similar story when the teams met again in the 1981/82 European Cup second round, the first leg in Lisbon again ending scoreless. Once again Bayern ran out ultimately comfortable victors at home, thanks mainly to a Dieter Hoeness hat-trick with Paul Breitner getting the other in a 4-1 victory.

• Again Bayern progressed to the final, although this time they missed out on the trophy, going down 1-0 to Aston Villa FC in Rotterdam.

• Jürgen Klinsmann was the standout performer the last time the teams' paths crossed, in the 1995/96 UEFA Cup third round. The striker scored all four goals in Bayern's 4-1 home first-leg victory, then added two more in a 3-1 Lisbon success with Andreas Herzog contributing the other.

• Bayern went on to the final once more, and beat FC Girondins de Bordeaux 5-1 over two legs. Klinsmann finished with 15 goals for the season.

• The lineups in Lisbon on 5 December 1995 were:
Benfica: Brassard, Marinho, Ricardo Gomes, Hélder, Henriques, Bento, Calado, Edgar, Valdo, Marcelo, Nader.
Bayern: Kahn, Frey, Matthäus (Kostadinov 56), Witeczek, Kreuzer, Helmer (Grill 87), Nerlinger, Scholl (Herzog 75), Sforza, Klinsmann, Zickler.

Match background

Benfica
• This is Benfica's first UEFA Champions League quarter-final since a 3-1 aggregate defeat by Chelsea FC in 2011/12. Their overall European Cup quarter-final record is W8 L8.

• Benfica reached the final on the last two occasions they survived this hurdle – in 1990 and 1988.

• The Lisbon club have won three of their four home games in this season's competition, although they also lost 2-1 at home to Club Atlético de Madrid on matchday six. 

• Benfica's 40 games against German clubs have ended W12 D13 L16 (W10 D7 L2 in Lisbon). They are unbeaten in three home games, since a 2-1 UEFA Champions League group stage loss to FC Schalke 04 in December 2010. Bayern's 3-1 win in December 1995 is the only other time a visiting German side have left Benfica with a win.

• Benfica drew 0-0 at home against Bayer 04 Leverkusen in last season's group stage, losing 3-1 away.

• Benfica have lost the first leg away from home 33 times and have recovered to win on aggregate on 11 occasions, including the last three. Of the ten instances where they have gone down 1-0 they have won five ties, most recently against Fenerbahçe SK in the 2012/13 UEFA Europa League semi-finals (3-1 home).

• Benfica's record in UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W1 L2:
5-6 (neutral) v PSV Eindhoven, 1987/88 European Champion Clubs' Cup final
4-1 (home) v PAOK, 1999/2000 UEFA Cup second round
2-4 (neutral) v Sevilla FC, 2013/14 UEFA Europa League final

Bayern
• Five-time winners Bayern have featured in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in each of the last four seasons. Their European Cup quarter-final record is W17 L9.

• Bayern have won two of their four away games in this season's UEFA Champions League, losing 2-0 at Arsenal FC on matchday three and letting slip a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at Juventus in the round of 16 first leg.

• Josep Guardiola's side have won only two of their last eight UEFA Champions League away games, losing four.

• Twelve months ago, Bayern went down 3-1 at FC Porto in the quarter-final first leg, but turned the tie round spectacularly with a 6-1 second-leg success in Munich.

• That Porto defeat ended Bayern's 15-match unbeaten run against Portuguese opposition. Their overall record is now P25 W15 D8 L2 F56 A18. They have won all their previous nine two-legged knockout ties against Portuguese opposition.

• Bayern's only other defeat by a Portuguese club was also against Porto, in the 1987 European Cup final. Ludwig Kögl gave Bayern a 25th-minute lead at Vienna's Praterstadion, but late goals from Rabah Madjer (77) and Filho Juary (81) snatched away the trophy.

• Bayern have recorded home first-leg victories 49 times in UEFA competition and have triumphed in all but eight ties, including the last nine. When winning 1-0 at home first they have recorded two aggregate wins and two defeats.

• Bayern's penalty shoot-out record in UEFA competition is W5 L1:
5-4 v Chelsea FC, 2013 UEFA Super Cup
3-4 v Chelsea FC, 2011/12 UEFA Champions League final
3-1 v Real Madrid CF, 2011/12 UEFA Champions League semi-final
5-4 v Valencia CF, 2000/01 UEFA Champions League final
9-8 v PAOK FC, 1983/84 UEFA Cup second round
4-3 v Åtvidabergs FF, 1973/74 European Cup first round

Coach and player links
• Júlio César was in the FC Internazionale Milano side that beat Bayern 2-0 in the 2010 UEFA Champions League final in Madrid. The goalkeeper also helped the Nerazzurri win 3-2 in Munich in the following season's round of 16, going through on away goals after a 3-3 aggregate draw. Holger Badstuber, Philipp Lahm, Arjen Robben and Thomas Müller were in the Bayern side.

• Vidal was in the Juventus team beaten 2-1 on aggregate by Benfica in the 2013/14 UEFA Europa League semi-finals.

• Benfica's Greek international striker Kostas Mitroglou holds German citizenship and had spells in the youth ranks at MSV Duisburg and VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach.

• Mitroglou scored twice in Greece's 2-0 friendly win against David Alaba's Austria on 14 August 2013.

• Play for same international team:
Rafinha and Douglas Costa & Júlio César, Luisão and Jonas (Brazil)
Mehdi Carcela-González & Medhi Benatia (Morocco)

• Mario Götze scored in Germany's 4-2 friendly defeat by Argentina on 3 September 2014, Nicolás Gaitán coming on for the winners. Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller also featured for Germany.

• Nico Gaitán was a substitute in Argentina's 4-2 friendly win against Germany on 3 September 2014. Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller and Mario Götze featured for the World Cup Champions, while latter scored one goal.

• Müller's hat-trick helped Germany to a 4-0 defeat of a Portugal side including André Almeida in the 2014 FIFA World Cup group stage. Neuer, Philipp Lahm, Jérôme Boateng and Götze were all in the Germany side.

• Neuer, Lahm, Boateng and Müller – who scored the opening goal – were also in the side that beat Brazil 7-1 in the 2014 World Cup semi-final. Júlio César was the Brazil goalkeeper.

• Júlio César and Brazil were then beaten 3-0 by a Netherlands side including Arjen Robben in the third-place play-off.

Match facts

Benfica
• Pizzi, Luisão and Gonçalo Guedes will incur a suspension with their next bookings.

• Jonas, who has managed 18 goals in 18 club appearances in all competitions this calendar year, is suspended.

• Benfica have won 20 of their last 22 games in all competitions, the exceptions being the 2-1 home loss to Porto on 12 February and the 1-0 defeat in Munich.

• The Eagles came from behind to beat A. Académica de Coimbra 2-1 on Saturday, Raúl Jiménez scoring the 85th-minute winner.

• Benfica have failed to score at home only once this season – in the 3-0 reverse against city rivals Sporting Clube de Portugal on 25 October.

• The Eagles have won 12 of their 19 home games this term by at least two goals.

• Júlio César (right adductor) has been out since the beginning of March.

• Luisão (out since 21 November, broken left arm) suffered a setback in training and underwent surgery on the injury for a second time on 8 February. He was an unused substitute on Saturday.

Bayern
• Juan Bernat, Boateng, Joshua Kimmich, Robert Lewandowski and Vidal are a booking away from a ban.

• Bayern have won their past six games, most recently Saturday's 3-1 success at VfB Stuttgart.

• The first leg against Benfica was Guardiola's 150th match in charge of Bayern. His overall record is W116 D14 L20.

• Lewandowski has 44 goals in 49 outings for club and country in 2015/16.

• Müller has a career-best 19 Bundesliga goals to his name this term.

• Benatia has not played since suffering a thigh injury in training on 25 March.

• Robben (adductor) has been out since 13 March.

• Badstuber fractured an ankle in training on 13 February and will miss the rest of the season.

• Boateng has yet to return to action following a groin injury sustained in the 2-1 win at Hamburger SV on 22 January.