Benfica's mission at home on Tuesday is simple: Win, or lose any hope for the next round.
With four points, the Portuguese side trails Celtic by three and Barcelona by five. A loss puts them six behind Celtic and five behind Barca with only three remaining points. A draw keeps them three behind Celtic with one match to go. The problem with the final match for Benfica is that they travel to Camp Nou to take on Barcelona. Portugal's best team (tied with Porto for first place) has not had a poor tournament. They were unfortunate to lose to Spartak Moscow in their first encounter, but subsequently shut them down 2-0 in the following match. When they took on Celtic in the first match of the tournament, they drew 0-0.
Celtic has long forgotten that 0-0 draw at home after pulling off a tremendous 2-1 victory at home over Barcelona just two weeks ago. If not for Lionel Messi's late goal, Celtic shuts out Blaugrana. They now enter the match as the clear cut favorites, but could wind up caught flat-footed by Benfica's fast paced style.
Prediction: It could really go either way, but Benfica is a solid home team and can win this match. 2-1 Benfica.
Start Time: 2:45 p.m. EST
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