After saying goodbye to the UEFA Cup with two defeats at Luz, in 2008/09, against Galatasaray (0-2) and Metalist Kharkiv (0-1), the 'reds' have 22 victories and seven draws in 29 games played at their home ground in the second European competition. In more than 15 years, Benfica hosted Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, Juventus, Paris-Saint Germain, Bayer Leverkusen, Everton, Newcastle, Stuttgart, Eintracht Frankfurt, Hertha Berlin, PSV Eindhoven, Rangers or Marseille itself, and remains undefeated at Luz. The English from Tottenham, in 2013/14, and the Scottish from Rangers, in 2020/21, were the ones who came closest to winning, but, on both occasions, Benfica managed to rescue the tie in stoppage time. In 2013/14, and after a categorical victory at the 'mythical' White Hart Lane by 3-1, with a goal from Rodrigo and an unusual 'brace' from Luisão, Benfica took the lead at Luz at 34 minutes, with a goal from the Argentine centre-back Garay. The passage to the quarter-finals seemed guaranteed, but, in a flash, the Belgian Nacer Chadli managed a 'brace' (78 and 79 minutes), put the 'spurs' in front of the game and relaunched the tie, which was only sentenced with a penalty from Lima, at 90+5. It was, then, the 17th game without losing at Benfica's home in the competition. Seven seasons later, the 'reds' were in an even more delicate situation to hold on to their invincibility, this time in the reception to Rangers, in a match on the third matchday of the group stage of the 2020/21 edition. Benfica started in the best possible way, with an own goal by Golson -- the same one who scored in his own goal this season --, at two minutes, but everything became complicated with the direct red card shown to the Argentine Otamendi, at 19. Against 10, the Scottish reached 1-3, through an own goal by Diogo Gonçalves (24 minutes) and goals by Kamara (25) and Morelos (51), threatening to deny the 'eagles' the 25th consecutive match without losing at home in the Europa League. Jorge Jesus' team ended up, however, by reaching the tie, with Rafa reducing to 2-3, at 77 minutes, assisted by the Uruguayan Darwin Núñez, who, isolated by the German Waldschmidt, would make the 3-3, already at 90+1, in a Luz without an audience. In addition to Tottenham and Rangers, in double dose, due to the 2-2 in the 'round of 16' of this season, Marseille (1-1, in 2009/10), which is now back, Galatasaray (0-0, in 2018/19), Shakhtar Donetsk (3-3, in 2019/20) and Arsenal, which drew 1-1 in 2020/21, but, due to covid-19, in Rome, also achieved ties. Benfica conceded seven ties, but won 75.9% of the games, in a total of 22, with emphasis on the 2-1 against Liverpool, with 'brace' by Cardozo, in the 'quarter-finals' of 2009/10, and the 2-1 against Juventus, with goals by Garay and Lima, in the 'semi-finals' of 2013/14. The 4-2 against Eintracht Frankfurt, with a 'hat-trick' by the 'kid' João Félix, in the 'quarter-finals' of 2018/19, and, especially, the 3-1 against Fenerbahçe, with a goal by the Argentine Gaitán and two by the Paraguayan Cardozo, after a 1-0 away defeat, which was worth access to the 2012/13 final, also went down in history. The 29 unbeaten games include the only qualifying round match, which was Benfica's first ever in the Europa League, in the first leg of the 2009/10 play-off. On 20 August 2009, the 'reds' thrashed the Ukrainians from Vorskla Poltava by 4-0, in a match in which the opening goal was scored at 31 minutes by the Argentine Ángel Di María, who, 14 seasons later, is back in Benfica's squad. The match between Benfica and Marseille, in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals in football, will take place on Thursday, at 8 pm, at Estádio da Luz, in Lisbon. Also Read: Benfica never let a French team win at Estádio da Luz (Portuguese version)