Benfica vs Bologna facts

Buoyed by a late comeback last time out, Benfica will look to consolidate their position in the UEFA Champions League at home to a Bologna side who need to arrest their losing run.

The Portuguese side scored twice in the final six minutes to snatch a 3-2 victory at ten-man Monaco on Matchday 5, making it nine points in this season's competition (W3 L2).

Bologna's first Champions League campaign began with a 0-0 draw at home to Shakhtar Dontesk but they have lost their subsequent four matches although Jhon Lucumi did score their first league phase goal in the most recent, 1-2 at home to LOSC Lille.

This is the teams' first meeting and only Bologna's fifth match against a Portuguese club; in contrast, this is the third season running in which Benfica have faced an Italian team.

Form guide

Benfica

Record vs Italian clubs: W11 D7 L19 D41 A53
Home record vs Italian clubs: W7 D5 L5

Benfica's last four games with Italian clubs have all come against Inter Milan, most recently a 1-0 away defeat and 3-3 home draw – a game in which they had led 3-0 – in last season's group stage. The Serie A side had also beaten the Eagles 5-3 on aggregate in the 2022/23 quarter-finals (0-2 h, 3-3 a).

Benfica had already faced Italian opposition in the 2022/23 Champions League prior to their quarter-final against Inter, beating Juventus 2-1 in Turin and 4-3 in Lisbon in the group stage. Those are their only wins in their last nine games against Serie A sides (D3 L4).

The Eagles won four of their first six home games against Italian visitors (D1 L1) but have managed only three victories in the subsequent 11 (D4 L4).

This is Benfica's 19th appearance in the Champions League proper, and a 14th in the last 15 seasons.

The Eagles reached quarter-finals in 2021/22 and 2022/23 but were unable to progress to the knockout rounds last season, finishing third in Group D. Roger Schmidt's side went on to the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals, where Marseille ended their run (2-2 agg, 2-4 pens).

A 4-0 win at home to Atlético de Madrid on Matchday 2 is Benfica's only success in their last six home Champions League games; they have lost four, including 1-3 to Feyenoord in their last fixture.

European champions in 1961 and 1962, defeating Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively, Benfica have lost in five other European Cup finals, most recently in 1990.

The Lisbon club let slip their Portuguese Liga title in 2023/24, finishing second to local rivals Sporting CP.

Benfica parted company with Schmidt on 31 August. On 5 September they named Bruno Lage, head coach between January 2019 and July 2020, as his replacement.

Bologna

Record vs Portuguese clubs: W2 D1 L1 F5 A4
Away record vs Portuguese clubs: W1 D0 L1

All four of the Italian side's previous games against Portuguese teams involved Benfica's Lisbon rivals Sporting CP, who Bologna beat 2-0 away and 2-1 at home in the 1998/99 UEFA Cup first round.

Bologna's 1990/91 UEFA Cup campaign had been ended at the quarter-final stage by the same opponents, a 1-1 first-leg draw in Italy preceding a 2-0 Sporting success in Portugal.

This is Bologna's first Champions League campaign. They are the 11th Italian side to appear in the competition proper and the first newcomers since Atalanta in 2019/20.

Their only previous European Cup campaign lasted a single tie, Bologna losing on a coin toss to Anderlecht in the 1964/65 preliminary round (0-1 a, 2-1 h, 0-0 play-off).

Matchday 1 was Bologna's first European fixture since that Intertoto Cup final against Fulham in August 2002.

The Italian side's away record in UEFA competition is W7 D4 L14; they have lost 2-0 at both Liverpool and Aston Villa this season.

Champions of Italy seven times – most recently in 1964 – Bologna were fifth in Serie A in 2023/24, setting a new club record of 68 points. It was their highest finish since 1966/67, when they were third.

Thiago Motta left for Juventus in the summer. Vincenzo Italiano, who guided Fiorentina to the Europa Conference League final in each of the last two seasons, was named as his replacement.

Links and trivia

Have played in Italy:
Renato Sanches (Roma 2023/24 loan)
Ángel Di María (Juventus 2022/23)
Arthur Cabral (Fiorentina 2022–23)

Cabral was coached by Italiano while at Fiorentina.

Have played together:
Ángel Di María & Samuel Iling-Junior (Juventus 2022/23)
Gianluca Prestianni & Santiago Castro (Vélez Sarsfield 2021–23)
Zeki Amdouni & Dan Ndoye (Basel 2022/23)
Arthur Cabral & Dan Ndoye (Basel 2021)
Vangelis Pavlidis, Sam Beukema & Jens Odgaard (AZ Alkmaar 2022/23)

International team-mates:
Zeki Amdouni, Dan Ndoye, Remo Freuler & Michel Aebischer (Switzerland)
Vangelis Pavlidis & Charis Lykogiannis (Greece)

Juan Miranda's Spain were 2-0 winners against a Portugal side including Tiago Gouveia in the 2019 UEFA European Under-19 Championship final.

Miranda and Amdouni were both on target in Spain's 2-1 victory against Switzerland in the 2023 European Under-21 Championship quarter-finals.

Latest news

Benfica

Ángel Di María's two assists in the Matchday 5 win at Monaco made it 41 in the Champions League, one ahead of Lionel Messi and one behind all-time leader Cristiano Ronaldo.

Kerem Aktürkoğlu's goal was enough to give Benfica a 1-0 home win against Vitória SC on Saturday.

Coach Bruno Lage has eight wins in as many league matches since taking charge in early September.

Benfica have won each of their last 11 domestic encounters and are unbeaten in 14 Portuguese league and cup matches (W13 D1) since the opening day of the season.

The Eagles followed their win at Monaco with a 2-0 Liga victory at Arouca on 1 December, Di María scoring the second goal from the spot. The Argentinian has six goals and three assists in his last five Benfica appearances in all competitions.

Di María is now one behind Kerem Aktürkoğlu, Benfica's top scorer this season with ten goals.

Renato Sanches has been out with a thigh injury since 11 November.

Bologna

On Saturday Bologna let slip a two-goal lead at Juventus, conceding in the 92nd minute to draw 2-2, Dan Ndoye and Tommaso Pobega both scoring.

Ndoye's first two goals of the season helped Bologna to a 3-0 home win against Venezia on 30 November.

Riccardo Orsolini converted a penalty to make it five goals in his last six Serie A games.

Orsolini also scored in a 4-0 Coppa Italia win against Monza on 3 December, but limped off shortly afterwards with a thigh injury and missed Saturday's draw.

Santiago Castro scored one goal and provided three assists against Monza, Benjamín Domínguez and Pobega getting their first Bologna goals.

The Rossoblù will face Atalanta or Cesena in the quarter-finals.

After Lewis Ferguson agreed a new deal until 2028 on 22 November, Michel Aebischer followed suit three days later, signing until 2027 with an option for a further season.

Aebischer has not played since 15 October due to a thigh injury.

Charalampos Lykogiannis sat out Saturday's draw, also with a thigh problem.