Benfica vs Real Sociedad match facts

Benfica's UEFA Champions League prospects are in urgent need of a lift as Group D high-fliers Real Sociedad visit Lisbon on Matchday 3.

Last season's quarter-finalists have lost both their first two games, at home to Salzburg on Matchday 1 (0-2) and 1-0 at Inter in a repeat of their 2022/23 last-eight tie. Their Spanish visitors are level on four points with Inter having shared a 1-1 draw at home to the Italian club in their first game before a 2-0 victory in Austria last time out.

This is the sides' first fixture, and Real Sociedad's first game against a Portuguese side since September 1992.

Form guide

Benfica

Record vs Spanish clubs: W7 D9 L11 F31 A38
Home record vs Spanish clubs: W3 D5 L4

Benfica's last home game against Spanish visitors proved a memorable one, Darwin Núñez scoring either side of a Rafa Silva goal to earn a 3-0 win against Barcelona on Matchday 2 of the 2021/22 Champions League. A 0-0 draw at the Camp Nou on Matchday 5 proved crucial in taking the Portuguese side through at their opponents' expense.

That home win is one of only two Benfica victories in their last 19 matches with Spanish sides (D8 L9), since a 2-1 victory at Real Betis on 29 September 1982.

The Portuguese club were on a three-match losing streak against Spanish visitors in Lisbon before beating Barcelona, ending their eight-game run without a home win against Spanish sides (D4 L4).

Benfica's two European Cup triumphs, in 1961 and 1962, both came against Spanish teams – Barcelona (3-2) and Real Madrid (5-3). More recently, Benfica lost 4-2 on penalties to Sevilla in the 2013/14 Europa League final after a goalless draw in Turin.

This is Benfica's 18th group appearance in the Champions League, and a 13th in the last 14 seasons.

The Eagles reached the quarter-finals for a second successive season in 2022/23, losing to eventual finalists Inter in the last eight (0-2 h, 3-3 a). Benfica had finished first in Group H ahead of Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus before knocking out Club Brugge in the round of 16 (2-0 a, 5-1 h).

The defeat by Inter in Lisbon ended Benfica's six-match unbeaten home run in European competition (W5 D1). This season's loss to Salzburg made it successive home reverses for the first time since 2017.

European champions in 1961 and 1962, beating Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively, Benfica have lost in five other European Cup finals, most recently in 1990.

The Lisbon club were Portuguese champions for a record 38th time in 2022/23, Roger Schmidt's side finishing two points ahead of Porto to claim Benfica's first title since 2019.

Real Sociedad

Record vs Portuguese clubs: W3 D1 L2 F6 A5
Away record vs Portuguese clubs: W1 D0 L2

This is Real's first game against a Portuguese club since a 2-0 home win against Vitória SC in the 1992/93 UEFA Cup first round second leg, a result that was not enough to overturn a 3-0 first-leg defeat.

The Basque club had had more joy in their first tie against Portuguese opponents, retrieving a 1-0 first-leg loss at Sporting CP with a 2-0 victory in San Sebastian in the 1982/83 European Cup quarter-finals.

Real were also victorious on aggregate against Sporting in the 1988/89 UEFA Cup second round, all the goals coming in the Lisbon first leg where the Spanish side ran out 2-1 winners.

Real are making their third Champions League group appearance, and a first since 2013/14.

Ten seasons ago, La Real finished fourth in Group A, which also included Manchester United, Bayer Leverkusen and Shakhtar Donetsk, having failed to win a game (D1 L5).

The Spanish side had reached the round of 16 on their debut in 2003/04, losing both legs 1-0 against Lyon.

This is La Real's fourth successive European campaign, equalling a club record set between 1979/80 and 1982/83.

Fourth in La Liga last season, the club's highest finish since 2012/13, Imanol Alguacil's side finished first in their Europa League section ahead of Manchester United but lost to eventual runners-up Roma in the last 16 (0-2 a, 0-0 h).

Real won all three away games in last season's Europa League group stage before losing at Roma. That is one of only two defeats in their last 13 away European games (W6 D5).

The Spanish side have lost five of their eight away games in the Champions League, group stage to final. This season's win at Salzburg was only their second victory, the other a 2-1 success at Galatasaray in their first fixture, on Matchday 2 in 2003/04.

The Basque club's most successful UEFA campaign came in 1982/83, when they reached the European Cup semi-finals being edged out 3-2 on aggregate by eventual winners Hamburg.

Links and trivia

Kieran Tierney came on as a substitute as Arsenal drew 1-1 against Benfica in the 2020/21 UEFA Europa League round of 32 first leg in Rome and scored the Gunners' second goal in a 3-2 second-leg win in Piraeus in Greece; Rafa Silva got Benfica's second goal.

Have played in Spain:
Ángel Di María (Real Madrid 2010–14)
Nicolás Otamendi (Valencia 2014/15)
Gonçalo Guedes (Valencia 2017–22)
Juan Bernat (Valencia 2000–14)
Florentino (Getafe 2021/22 loan)

Di María scored 37 goals in 194 appearances in all competitions for Madrid, winning the 2011/12 La Liga title and the Copa del Rey in 2010/11 and 2013/14. He was also Player of the Match in their 4-1 extra-time victory against Atlético de Madrid in the 2014 UEFA Champions League final in Lisbon.

Di María scored Madrid's first goal in a 2-1 away Liga victory against Real Sociedad on 18 September 2010. His record against the Basque club with Madrid was W4 D1.

Part of Valencia's 2019 Copa del Rey-winning side, Guedes faced Real Sociedad eight times and has never lost (W3 D5).

Bernat, by contrast, tasted defeat in all three games against Real while at Valencia.

Has played in Portugal:
André Silva (Porto, 2011–17)

André Silva's Porto drew 1-1 home and away against Benfica in the 2016/17 Portuguese Liga, his sole full season in the first team.

Have played together:
Arthur Cabral & Álvaro Odriozola (Fiorentina 2021/22)

Latest news

Benfica

Benfica have won nine of their 12 games in all competitions in 2023/24, losing the other three.

On Friday the Lisbon club were 4-1 victors at fourth division side Lusitânia in the Portuguese Cup third round, João Mário and Rafa Silva scoring in the first half and Arthur Cabral and Tiago Gouveia in the second.

João Mário found the net for the first time since 18 March while it was Rafa Silva's first goal since 26 August.

Arthur Cabral and Tiago Gouveia scored their first goals for Benfica.

Benfica were 1-0 Portuguese Liga winners at Estoril on 7 October, central defender António Silva scoring the only goal of the game in added time.

The Eagles started the season with a 2-0 win against Porto in the Portuguese Super Cup on 9 August.

Ángel Di María, who returned to Benfica this summer, opened the scoring on his second club debut. He was also on target in the first game of the Liga campaign, a 3-2 loss at Boavista on 14 August.

Benfica have won all seven league games since, the Argentinian adding four more goals to his tally.

Di María is Benfica's top scorer with six goals, two more than Petar Musa with Rafa Silva, who found the net in the first three league games, on three.

Rafa Silva missed the win at Estoril due to a left thigh injury but started on Friday.

Alexander Bah has not played since going off midway through the first half on Matchday 2 with a recurrence of an injury to his left foot first suffered in a 3-1 win at Portimonense on 24 September.

Nicolás Otamendi scored the only goal as Argentina beat Paraguay in 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying on 12 October.

The same day, Fredrik Aursnes scored in Norway's 4-0 UEFA EURO 2024 qualifying win in Cyprus.

João Neves made his debut for Portugal as a substitute in a 5-0 EURO 2024 qualifying win away to Bosnia and Herzegovina on 16 October.

Benfica were 1-0 winners against Torreense in a friendly during the international break, João Victor scoring the only goal.

The Eagles will face AVS and Arouca in the Portuguese League Cup group stage.

Roger Schmidt was voted coach of the 2022/23 season in the latest Liga Portugal Awards.

Real Sociedad

Real Sociedad's record after nine league games is W5 D3 L2. They were 1-0 winners at home to Mallorca in La Liga on Saturday.

Brais Méndez scored the only goal, his fourth in his last seven games in all competitions.

Real's four-game winning streak – and five-match unbeaten run – in all competitions was ended by a 2-1 loss at Atlético de Madrid on 8 October.

Mikel Oyarzabal scored Real's goal at Atlético, his fourth in this season's Liga.

Oyarzabal is level with Takefusa Kubo as the Basque team's top scorer so far this season on five goals in all competitions.

Real Sociedad started the 2023/24 La Liga season with three consecutive draws but have drawn only one of their nine subsequent matches in all competitions (W6 L2) – against Inter on Matchday 1.

Álvaro Odriozola made his second Real Sociedad debut against Inter having rejoined the club in the summer after eight seasons at Real Madrid.

The Spanish side's Matchday 1 squad featured 11 academy graduates – five of them, Barrenetxea, Oyarzabal, Le Normand, Martin Zubimendi and Igor Zubeldia, in the starting line-up.

Real's team against Salzburg on Matchday 2 included six youth players in the starting XI – Le Normand, Zubeldia, Ahien Muñoz, Zubimendi, Barrenetxea and Oyarzabal.

Kieran Tierney was taken off with a thigh injury in the first half of the 3-0 win at home to Athletic Club on 30 September and has not played since.

On-loan André Silva recovered from a muscle injury sustained at the end of last season with Leipzig to make his Real debut as a substitute against Athletic and also came on against Atlético. The forward suffered a calf injury in training on 16 October and missed the weekend win.

Odriozola, who has been suffering with a hamstring injury, has not played since 27 September.

Mohamed-Ali Cho picked up an injury in training before the Atlético match and has not played since, although he was an unused substitute on Saturday.

On 12 October, Le Normand, Mikel Merino and Oyarzabal started Spain's 2-0 home win against Scotland in UEFA EURO 2024 qualifying. Three days later, Le Normand played 90 minutes and Oyarzabal was a half-time substitute as Spain won 1-0 away to a Norway side featuring Benfica midfielder Fredrik Aursnes to book their place in next summer's tournament.