Fenerbahce produced the highlight of the semi-finals, beating Feyenoord 5-2 at home, and now comes the real challenge – Benfica. But if there is a manager who can beat the best with limited resources, it is Jose Mourinho.
Nobody could have predicted the extremes in the previous round, as Fenerbahce responded to a 2-1 defeat in the first leg with a crushing 5-2 at home in the rematch. The Yellow Canaries are two matches away from a rare appearance in the main phase of the Champions League, an achievement they last celebrated in 2008.
Jose Mourinho will have to find a way to encourage his squad after a frustrating 0-0 draw in the Turkish Superliga during the weekend. Across the pitch will be a Benfica side that's hungry for success after four wins in a row since the start of the season.
Moreover, the Eagles are yet to concede a goal after winning the Portuguese Super Cup and beating Nice 4-0 on aggregate in the previous round. Not seeing Benfica in the Champions League will be shocking, as the Eagles have reached the group stage in 14 of the last 15 seasons.
How the bookies view it: Completely even odds
Bookmakers couldn't name a favourite and we have the two teams sitting with the same odds – 8/5 each. These numbers will certainly change in the next couple of days but right now, you can also pick the draw at 5/2.
Recent head to head: Benfica beat Fenerbahce a month ago
The Yellow Canaries and the Eagles have met a few times throughout the years, with six out of seven H2Hs being in the Champions League or the Europa League. The teams actually met in a friendly match last month, with Benfica winning 3-2. As for the official meetings, Benfica have the edge with three wins to two. But we should note that the Eagles have never won away at Fenerbahce, losing twice before the most recent draw in 2018.
Players to watch: Pavlidis deserves more attention
Fenerbahce's Youssef En Nesyri had a solid pre-season with two goals and an assist in four matches before contributing two goals against Feyenoord last week. The Moroccan striker had his career-best season with Fenerbahce last year, scoring 30 goals across all competitions. He is quite capable of punishing Benfica on Wednesday.
And you also can't rule out Vangelis Pavlidis, who played a phenomenal debut season for Benfica last year. The Greek striker scored 29 goals across all competitions, seven of which in the Champions League, next to his 11 assists. His goal against Sporting secured the Super Cup, and he also won Benfica the game against Estrela over the weekend.
Probable line-ups
Fenerbahce: Egribayat, Oosterwolde, Skirniar, Muldur, Semedo, Brown, Amrabat, Fred, Szymanski, En-Nesyri, Duran
Benfica: Trubin, Dedic, Otamendi, Silva, Dah, Schjelderup, Aursnes, Rios, Barrenechea, Pavlidis, Ivanovic
Anything else catch the eye?
Playing in Turkey is never easy and very few teams, even at the highest level, have managed to beat Fenerbahce at Ulker Stadium in recent years. But Benfica are a well-oiled machine, a team that's effective in the final third and unbreakable in the back.
The hosts will need a stellar performance to go home with something from this match, but we believe Jose Mourinho's experience will lead them to at least one goal. But Benfica will undoubtedly respond, and we see why the odds are this close. We expect a hard-fought draw between these two teams and everything to play for in the second leg.
GambleAware