Luck, in football as in life, is relative. At the end of August, when the Champions League group stage draw dictated that FC Porto would meet Atl. Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and Club Brugge, the Belgians were seen as the natural weakest link in Group B. In the end, they took second place. This Monday, when the draw for the Champions League round of 16 dictated that Benfica will meet Bruges, the Belgians continue to be seen as the weakest link. But they have already shown that it may not be so.
Even so, it is an obvious fact that the tie ended up smiling at the reds. Despite finishing first in Group H, ahead of PSG and Juventus, Roger Schmidt’s team he could have been with Inter Milan, Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund or AC Milan. But it happened with Club Brugge, who, in the current Champions League format, had never reached the round of 16.
EITHER @ClubBrugge is our opponent for the round of 16 @Champions League!#UCLDraw #UCL pic.twitter.com/0UsAIfScSQ
— SL Benfica (@SLBenfica) November 7, 2022
Historic Belgian club, current three-time national champion, Club Brugge has been away from European glory for a long time, but the truth is that it is still the only Belgian club to have played in a final of the then European Cup. At that time, in 1978, they lost to Liverpool, the same opponent they had also lost to two years earlier in the UEFA Cup final. This season, in that Group B where FC Porto was also present, the Belgians added 11 points, only behind the 11 of the Dragons, and added three wins, two draws and only one loss.
Club Brugge was, in fact, the first team in the group to qualify for the Round of 16. The set guided by Carl Hoefkens played one of the most surprising games of the group stage, beating FC Porto at the Dragão (0-4), in a result that the dragons managed to avenge for the same numbers in Belgium, and that has former Barcelona striker Ferran Jutglà as the main offensive reference. Boyata, Odoi and Vanaken add quality to a squad that also has the experience of goalkeeper Mignolet and former Benfica player Roman Yaremchuk, who will rejoin the club he left at the beginning of the season.
????????? Club Brugge vs Benfica ????????#raffleUCL pic.twitter.com/ubq74XGSar
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) November 7, 2022
If Benfica is the current isolated leader of the Primeira Liga, with eight points more than FC Porto, Club Brugge They are fourth in the Belgian Championship, 11 points behind Genk’s leadership. The team has had some difficulties reconciling European demand with domestic commitments and has already lost four in 16 games, having lost this Sunday against Gent.
In addition to the offensive effectiveness, very evident in the win that froze the Dragon, Club Brugge benefits from a remarkable defensive solidity that allowed them to reach the end of the Champions League group stage with only four goals conceded — all scored by FC Porto in the same match.
A toast for some, a half bean for others: Benfica faces Club Brugge, FC Porto plays Inter
Source: Observadora
