Spartak Moscow was seen as a potential favorite to get out of Group G with Barcelona, but to this point, they have failed.
The 3-2 loss to Barcelona was not surprising given Barcelona's wealth of talent and pedigree. But when Moscow scraped ahead 2-1 in the match and then lost it 3-2, the team's poor play in the clutch started to arise. The following match was far worst as they suffered another 3-2 result at home to Celtic. The team fell behind 1-0 in the 12th minute but Emenike added two tallies in the 41st and 48th to secure a 2-1 lead over arguably one of the weaker teams in the group. But Moscow undid themselves as an own goal in 71st demoralized the squad and gave Celtic the momentum. A 90th minute goal from Georgias Samaras was the nail in the coffin for the worst team thus far in Group G. Things have been no better in the Russian League as the team has struggled with six wins and five losses in 12 games and with 19 points, they are currently in 6th place.
They now take on Benfica who despite only having one point in the group stage has been surprisingly solid. Benfica has scored 0 goals in the tournament and yet they have only allowed 2 thus far. The 0-0 draw to Celtic was a solid result on the road and the 2-0 loss at home to Barca was unfortunate but expected. However, what was unexpected was for Benfica to create as many chances as they did against Barcelona and show off the potential to be a truly dangerous team. They are currently tied for first in the Portuguese league and have goal scoring prowess of Oscar Cardozo and Rodrigo waiting to break out. They also have Maxi Pereira, Enzo Perez, and Eduardo Salvio; all of whom can create some difficulty for opposing clubs.
Prediction: Moscow will play better at home than last time. But Benfica will be looking for some goals. 2-2 draw.
Start Time: 12 p.m. EDT