Despite currently topping their group in the Europa League, Benfica suffered their first league defeat of the season on Monday, losing 3-0 to Boavista - with the Portuguese giants keen to bounce back as they host Rangers on Thursday evening.
However, they will have a tough job on their hands going up against an in-form Rangers side, with Steven Gerrard's men currently the only team unbeaten in Scotland or England's top tier this campaign.
Match preview
© Reuters
Benfica's shock defeat against Boavista earlier this week means they currently sit second in the Primeira Liga, just one point behind leaders Sporting Lisbon.
The Eagles thought they were ahead after just 10 minutes when a curled shot by Darwin Nunez hit the back of the net. However, the effort was later disallowed for offside by VAR.
Matters only got worse for the visitors after that, with former Manchester United man Angel Gomes converting a penalty in the 18th minute, before Alberth Elis scored the second in the latter stages of the first half.
Yanis Hamache then got the third, resulting in a rather miserable evening for Jorge Jesus's team, with the Portuguese coach unable to produce a comeback, despite making three half-time substitutions.
However, their run in the Europa League during the 2020-21 campaign has been positive so far, claiming a win against Standard Liege and Lech Poznan as they sit at the top of Group D.
© Reuters
Rangers, on the other hand, currently occupy second place - with just goal difference separating the two teams in the group.
The Glaswegian side have been in superb form recently, comfortably sitting at the top of the Scottish Premiership - nine points above fierce rivals Celtic, although the Hoops currently have two games in hand.
Their most recent league win was away at Kilmarnock, with a James Tavernier's penalty the only goal separating the two teams.
The Gers also picked up wins against Standard Liege and Lech Poznan, with their most recent Europa League fixture ending in a 1-0 victory against the Polish side.
If Rangers win on Thursday night, they will prevent Benfica from becoming the first side to go 24 matches unbeaten in the history of the UEFA Cup and Europa League, having matched Zenit St Petersburg's record last week.
Benfica Europa League form: WW
Benfica form (all competitions): LWWWWW
Rangers Europa League form: WW
Rangers form (all competitions): WWWWWW
Team News
© Reuters
Jesus is expected to make a few changes to the starting XI that lost against Boavista this week as the Benfica manager is desperate to continue his excellent run in Europe.
Haris Seferovic could replace Nunez at front, while Diogo Goncalves could come in for Gilberto at right-back, with the 23-year-old occupying that role in their convincing 3-0 win over Standard Liege.
In terms of injuries, Alex Grimaldo is set to miss the upcoming match, after the defender had to be substituted off in their win over Belenenses last week due to an ankle sprain.
Andre Almeida is also expected to miss the game with a knee injury, while Jean-Clair Todibo remains doubtful.
For Rangers, long-term absentee Nikola Katic is the only player set to miss the match through injury, with the defender expected to return to action next year.
Joe Aribo could make way for Glen Kamara in midfield, but Alfredo Morelos may keep his place up front.
Gerrard may opt for a similar side that won against Kilmarnock, yet the former Liverpool man will be hoping for more goals come Thursday.
Benfica possible starting lineup:
Vlachodimos; Goncalves, Otamendi, Vertonghen, Tavares; Pizzi, Pires, Taraabt, Everton; Seferovic, Waldschmidt
Rangers possible starting lineup:
McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Helander, Barisic; Arfield, Jack, Kamara; Itten, Morelos, Kent
We say: Benfica 1-0 Rangers
With Rangers currently in superb form, it is hard to see anyone beating the current Scottish Premiership leaders. However, with Benfica set to make history and Jesus desperate for a home win in the Europa League, we see the Portuguese giants claiming a narrow victory.
Top betting tip
Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a double chance bet on a home win or an away win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home/Away:dataData Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Benfica win with a probability of 43.26%. A win for Rangers had a probability of 33.28% and a draw had a probability of 23.5%.
The most likely scoreline for a Benfica win was 2-1 with a probability of 8.94%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (7.23%) and 2-0 (6.12%). The likeliest Rangers win was 1-2 (7.71%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (10.56%). The actual scoreline of 3-3 was predicted with a 1.8% likelihood.
