Champions League: Benfica heavy favorites against Brugge

LISBON: Thriving and facing an opponent in crisis, Benfica couldn’t be in a better position to keep their good run going in the Champions League.

The Portuguese side will defend a 2-0 lead from the round-of-16 first leg against Club Brugge at home on Tuesday. Benfica are looking to reach the quarterfinals for a second straight season, a feat they last accomplished more than five decades ago. Last year, they were eliminated by eventual runner-up Liverpool in the final eight.

There aren’t many teams in Europe in as good a form as Benfica, who are unbeaten in 12 games in all competitions. They have won 10 of those matches. They didn’t lose in the group stage of the Champions League, winning the group ahead of powerhouses Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus. Benfica also comfortably lead the Portuguese league.

“At the moment, we’re having a really good season but the judgment comes at the end of the season when we see what we have achieved,” Benfica coach Roger Schmidt said on Monday. “It’s now the final straight in the league and Champions League so we have to be fully focused.”

Brugge, meanwhile, have won only twice in 11 matches since English coach Scott Parker took over in December. They plunged deeper into crisis after losing at relegation-threatened Oostende 3-0 in the Belgian league on Friday, prompting fans to ask players for explanations and Parker to acknowledge his job was in jeopardy.

“We come here with one huge challenge ahead of us, a challenge that we are relishing as a team and as a football club,” Parker said. “We’ll go and give everything we’ve got in this second leg (and) we’ll enjoy this occasion.”

The Belgian champion was one of the surprises of the group stage, finishing second to Porto and ahead of