Benfica must make a statement in UEFA Champions League quarters

MANILA, Philippines – Football — and sports in general — is played not just on the field, but also in the mind.

In this two-legged quarterfinals match of the UEFA Champions League between Portuguese side Benfica and Italian squad Inter Milan, all the talking is being done incredibly by the Italian media and other teams also competing.

To wit: former Inter Milan player Andrea Pirlo (who also suited up for AC Milan and Juventus) said, “Benfica is brilliant but Inter Milan can beat anyone.”

The Italian media considers the match against the Portuguese team as “a gift” that Inter Milan must take, and that they avoided the competition's “heavy hitters.”

Inter Milan sits currently at third spot in the Italian Serie A with a 16-2-9 record. However, they are 21 points behind leader Napoli, which is running away with the 2022-23 season title because their second closest pursuer, Lazio, has only 52 points. 

Despite Inter Milan not being in the running for domestic honors (they have also lost three of their last five fixtures), the analysts give them the advantage despite the game being played at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon. 

On the other hand, there is a more respectful quote — this one from Man City’s Pep Guardiola, whose team is also in the quarterfinals, saying “that a game against Benfica is like a trip to the dentist.”

So on one hand, there’s disrespect that should motivate head coach Roger Schmidt and his As Aguias team as Benfica is nicknamed.

Meanwhile, there’s that “respectful tone” that as one used to accuse basketball star Michael Jordan of doing — to befriend them to lull them into complacency then he beats them down.

Perhaps the attitude that Benfica must adopt is similar to what American basketball star John Stockton said ahead of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics — “the Olympic spirit is to go out and beat other teams and not live with them.”

Is there merit in how analysts perceive Benfica?

In the last 10 years, they have made the Champions League every year. They never got out of the group stage four times, once they were immediately eliminated in the qualifiers, they reached the Round of 16 once, and the quarterfinals twice. 

And the Portuguese Primeira Liga sixth in European football. 

Therefore, the onus is on Benfica to prove the naysayers wrong. And that 64,642 fans who pack that 20-year-old stadium should make the visiting Inter Milan team feel that their home team is a force to be reckoned with. 

And football fans will find out when the first leg between Benfica and Inter Milan is televised live in the Philippines this coming April 12 at 3am on the Premier Sports channel on Skycable and Cignal as well as on the TapGo TV streaming application.