Liverpool boss Benitez admits tough Benfica battle
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez knows they face a tough battle in their Europa League quarterfinal draw with Benfica.
Portuguese league leaders Benfica have happy memories of facing Merseyside opposition in the Europa League this season with two wins against Everton in the group phase.
The first leg will be played at the Estadio da Luz on April 1 with the return game in England a week later on April 8.
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is expecting a tough assignment.
"We know they are a good team and of course we have played them before in the Champions League," Benitez told the club's official website. "They are a massive club with a lot of support from their fans and it will be a tough game.
"They are top of the table and playing really well at the moment. I know a number of their players well - Aimar, Saviola, Garcia - so we know they have a lot of quality.
"It's always important that the second leg is at home in front of our fans. We know we have to perform away and then play well at home. We have the confidence to do that and are looking forward to the games.
"Because we have played Benfica before they will know Anfield and so may not be as scared as other teams, but we have to do things properly and try to go through."
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Results & Fixtures
Matches
| Home | Away | Score | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun May 13th | |||
| Stoke City | Bolton Wanderers | 2 - 2 | 14:00 |
| West Bromwich Albion | Arsenal | 2 - 3 | 14:00 |
| Everton | Newcastle United | 3 - 1 | 14:00 |
| Sunderland | Manchester United | - 1 | 14:00 |
| Wigan Athletic | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3 - 2 | 14:00 |
| Manchester City | Queens Park Rangers | 3 - 2 | 14:00 |
| Swansea City | Liverpool | 14:00 | |
| Norwich City | Aston Villa | 14:00 | |
| Tottenham Hotspur | Fulham | 14:00 | |
| Chelsea | Blackburn Rovers | 2 - 1 | 14:00 |
Tables
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester City | 38 | 28 | 5 | 5 | 64 | 89 |
| Manchester United | 38 | 28 | 5 | 5 | 56 | 89 |
| Arsenal | 38 | 21 | 7 | 10 | 25 | 70 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 20 | 9 | 9 | 25 | 69 |
| Newcastle United | 38 | 19 | 8 | 11 | 5 | 65 |
| Chelsea | 38 | 18 | 10 | 10 | 19 | 64 |
| Everton | 38 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 56 |
| Liverpool | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 52 |
| Fulham | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | -3 | 52 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 38 | 13 | 8 | 17 | -7 | 47 |
| Swansea City | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | -7 | 47 |
| Norwich City | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | -14 | 47 |
| Sunderland | 38 | 11 | 12 | 15 | -1 | 45 |
| Stoke City | 38 | 11 | 12 | 15 | -17 | 45 |
| Wigan Athletic | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | -20 | 43 |
| Aston Villa | 38 | 7 | 17 | 14 | -16 | 38 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 38 | 10 | 7 | 21 | -23 | 37 |
| Bolton Wanderers | 38 | 10 | 6 | 22 | -31 | 36 |
| Blackburn Rovers | 38 | 8 | 7 | 23 | -30 | 31 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 38 | 5 | 10 | 23 | -42 | 25 |
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Comments (3)
It will be a tough battle and Benfica will need at least 2 goals at home (preferably 2-0 score) so that they can have a better chance at Anfield. Go Eagles!!
Go home united scum bag the Europa League is worth winning and Liverpool can do it.
honestly... why do liverpool care so much about this cup? winning it won't make their sh!t season look any better.
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