Bayern Munich vs. Benfica preview: Team news and predicted lineups
| Photo: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images |
After a painful 4-1 defeat at the hands of Barcelona in their last Champions League game, Bayern Munich have responded well, winning their last three matches against Bochum, Mainz and Union Berlin by a combined score of 12-0.
With just three points to their name in the Champions League, having also lost to Aston Villa, a win will be crucial when Benfica visit the Allianz Arena on Wednesday.
However, Benfica are not an easy side to beat and have only lost twice this season, their most recent defeat being a shock 1-3 loss to Feyenoord in their last Champions League game.
They've bounced back well since then, beating Rio Ave, Santa Clara and Farense in their last three games.
Bayern coach Vincent Kompany won't have much reason to make changes to the team that beat Union Berlin, although he has plenty of quality options from the bench, including wingers Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sané.
Long-term absentees Sacha Boey, Hiroki Ito, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Josip Stanisic and Tarek Buchmann remain on the sidelines.
For Benfica, Gianluca Prestianni, Leandro Barreiro and Tiago Gouveia are all unavailable.