Strong starters Monaco welcome an in-form Benfica side to the Stade Louis II on matchday five of the Champions League on Wednesday evening.

Both recorded domestic wins this weekend and look on course to reach the knockout rounds of this competition.

Match example

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After a setback against Angers at the start of the month, Monaco have responded brilliantly with Adi Hutter‘s men are now on a three-match winning streak.

Monaco beat Bologna on matchday four to take them to third halfway through this Champions League stage campaign, with only 100% Liverpool and Sporting Lisbon above them.

Since that success at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, Monaco have won 3-1 against usually strong Strasbourg, and 3-2 at home against Brest this weekend, meaning they have taken 26 points from a possible 36. in League 1 until now.

Home form has been a big factor in their success domestically and on the continent, with just one defeat in nine games so far this season, including a win over Barcelona.

Before the start of this season, Monaco had a run of fourteen games without a win in the Champions League, but after a six-year absence they have returned in good style with ten points from their first four games, three of which they have secured at this stage of a UCL won. season for the second time – having also done so in 1997-98.

This will be only the third time the two clubs have met, with the first two coming back in the group stages of this competition in 2014, and although Monaco came top and Benfica finished bottom in that section, the Portuguese club took four points apart. their upcoming opponents, keeping a clean sheet in both.

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Benfica have not been that convincing at home and in the UCL so far, but they are improving all the time Bruno Lagewho has made a major impact since his replacement Roger Schmidt.

The visitors beat Atletico Madrid 4-0 on matchday two, but have since lost at home to Feyenoord and narrowly to Bayern Munich last time out, meaning they have dropped from joint top to 19th place.

After their trip to Bavaria, however, Benfica were brilliant, beating Porto 4-1 to close the gap on them and into the Champions League places. to just two pointsbefore beating Estrela 7-0 in the cup this weekend, taking Lage to 11 wins in his first 13 games in charge.

That should give them the inspiration to finally record a 50th UCL win, with Lage’s only two defeats since taking over in this competition in both of their last two games.

One hoodoo they must overcome, however, is the fact that they have never won the Champions League in France: in eight games they have drawn three and lost five.

Monaco Champions League Form:

Monaco form (all competitions):

Benfica Champions League Form:

Benfica form (all competitions):

Team news

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Monaco will be able to welcome it Lamine Camara back in the starting XI after serving a domestic ban this weekend, meaning the hosts should have their first choice in midfield after Denis Zakaria‘s recovery from an injury.

Caio Henrique saw his place in the side taken by the teenager Christian Mawissa Elebi this weekend, and who will start at left-back here remains unclear, with the more experienced Brazilian also sitting out the win over Bologna.

In terms of injuries Folarin Balogun is joined on the sidelines by Krepin Diatta recently, excluding both of these.

Benfica will have to make do without a right back Alexander Bah after the Denmark international injured his knee in the weekend’s thrashing of Estrela and took part Tiago Gouveiawho doubts, and Gianluca Prestianni on the treatment table.

Lage rested much of his first-choice XI for the cup win, but the manner of success allowed some to keep their places in the squad, including Angel Di Maria And Arthur Cabral.

Di Maria scored a hat-trick inside 18 minutes, meaning he now has five goals in his last two, but the question is whether he can play twice in a week at the age of 36, while Arthur may see Vangelis Pavlidis taking his place in the team despite scoring twice.

Turkish duo Kerem Akturkoglu And Orkun Kokcurecent Portuguese call Tiago Araujoand goalkeeper Anatolii Trubin were also rested over the weekend and would return to the squad in France.

Possible starting line-up for Monaco:
Majecki, Vanderson, Kehrer, Salisu, Caio Henrique; Zakaria, Camara; Akliouche, Golovin, Ben Seghir; Embolo

Benfica possible starting lineup:
Trubin; Kabore, Tiago Araujo, Otamendi, Fernandez; Aursnes, Florentino Luis, Kokcu; Di Maria, Pavlidis, Akturkoglu

We say: Monaco 1-1 Benfica

Monaco have gone winless in their last three home games against Portuguese clubs, and while their form at the Stade Louis II has been brilliant and they sit third in the 36-team standings, it will be a difficult test.

That’s because Benfica’s recent performances have given them plenty to be confident about. They frustrated Bayern for a long time, defeated Porto and entered seventh heaven this weekend, so they will feel like they can get something out of this.

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