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Liverpool tipped to get past Benfica in Champions League

Published:Tuesday | April 5, 2022 | 12:08 AM
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah attends a training session, ahead of today’s Champions League first-leg, quarter-final match against Benfica, at the AXA Training Centre, Liverpool, yesterday.
AP
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah attends a training session, ahead of today’s Champions League first-leg, quarter-final match against Benfica, at the AXA Training Centre, Liverpool, yesterday.

LONDON (AP):

Liverpool will continue their quest for a quadruple of major trophies when they visit Benfica, considered one of the easiest teams in the draw for the last eight, in the Champions League today.

The Liverpool-Benfica clash is one of two last eight matches scheduled. In the day’s second match, Manchester City will host Atletico Madrid.

Jurgen Klopp will have a full squad available for the first time since he took charge of the team in 2015. Right back Trent Alexander-Arnold was rested against Watford on Saturday in the Premier League after injury but is expected to return.

Benfica are considered underdogs, but have already finished ahead of Barcelona in the group stage and won in the last 16 against Ajax, another team with a free-flowing attack like Liverpool’s. Benfica coach Nélson Veríssimo also is expected to have all his players available for the first leg at the Estádio da Luz, including Morocco international Adel Taarabt, who had been out injured. Benfica had been unbeaten in nine straight matches in all competitions before losing at Braga in the Portuguese league on Friday.

Man City vs Atletico

It’s the first competitive match between two teams who are looking to win the Champions League for the first time. Both have reached the final, with Atletico losing to Real Madrid in 2014 and 2016, and City beaten by Chelsea last year. City are heading into a crunch period of the season with the two legs against Atletico coming either side of a Premier League title showdown with Liverpool on Sunday.

First-choice centre back Ruben Dias is unlikely to play in any of those games as he recovers from a hamstring injury while right back Kyle Walker completes a three-match European suspension. Atletico are back in Manchester, having beaten Manchester United 1-0 away last month to advance from the last 16. That’s one of the six games the Spanish champions have won in a row – their longest winning streak since February 2018.

The winners over two legs will face Chelsea or Real Madrid in the semi-finals.