Benfica first won the Champions League (then the European Cup)in 1961, becoming, in the process the first team to break the early monopoly of Real Madrid in the competition. In 1961 they defeated Barcelona in the final and retained the Trophy a year later, this time beating Real themselves, by five goals to three, with their greatest ever player, Eusebio, scoring twice.
Sadly for them, they have not managed to win the Trophy since then, but have been Runners Up five times, the last time being in 1990.
| Stadium: | Estadio da Luz |
| Manager: | Jorge Jesus |
| Honours: | 2W, 5RU |
| Last Season: | Quarter Final |
| Qualified: | 2nd Portugal |
| Pre-tournament Odds: | 100/1 |
| Current Odds: | Not applicable |
Get a free bet on the Champions League.
Benfica were quoted at around the 100/1 mark to win the Champions League, which effectively made them a mid-range team, who have at best an outside chance of getting to the final stages. Unfortunately for the Portuguese side, they could only finish third in Group G behind Barcelona and Celtic and will now have to make do with the Europa League.
Get the latest odds on Benfica to win the Champions League.
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 13 |
| Celtic | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 10 |
| Benfica | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 8 |
| Spartak Moscow | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 14 | -7 | 3 |
Check the draw for the Champions League Group stages.
| Date | Home Team | Away Team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19th Sep 12 | Celtic | 0 - 0 | Benfica |
| 2nd Oct 12 | Benfica | 0 - 2 | Barcelona |
| 23rd Oct 12 | Spartak Moscow | 2 - 1 | Benfica |
| 7th Nov 12 | Benfica | 2 - 0 | Spartak Moscow |
| 20th Nov 12 | Benfica | 2 - 1 | Celtic |
| 5th Dec 12 | Barcelona | 0 - 0 | Benfica |
2012/13 Champions League Fixtures.
Since Jorge Jesus took over the coaching reins at the club, Benfica has gone from strength to strength, winning the Portuguese League in 2009/10 for the first time since 2005. They had to settle for a runner-up spot behind bitter rivals Porto last year though as Porto dominated the domestic league again.
They have a number of players who are performing really well for the club currently, not least of whom is striker, Oscar Cardoza, who topped scored for the team again last. Other players to keep an eye are as follows:
Check out the other European Clubs with a chance in this season's Champions League.
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