In the space of five days, the 'eagles' drew 2-2 when hosting the 'lions' and lost 2-1 in Alvalade, saying goodbye to the Portuguese Cup and, in practice, to the championship, so they can now only 'fly' in Europe, in their third consecutive 'quarter-finals'.

After being in the 'top 8' of the 'Champions' in 2021/22 and 2022/23, Benfica is seeking a third presence in the 'top 4' of the Europa League, repeating 2012/13 and 2013/14, seasons in which, under the command of Jorge Jesus, they were defeated finalists.

The 'starting eleven' of Roger Schmidt, who started the season by winning the Super Cup (2-0 against FC Porto), has this objective and, now, this priority, at a time when, in the championship, they only need to defend the comfortable nine-point advantage they have over the third-placed team.

Regarding precedents against Marseille, they could not be more favourable, since Benfica eliminated the team from the south of France in the two previous duels, thanks to 'late' goals by Vata, the famous 'hand', in the semi-finals of the 1989/90 European Cup, and Kardec, in the 'round of 16' of the 2009/10 Europa League.

Overall, the team from Luz also has a very favourable balance in the confrontation with the Gauls, as they have overcome nine out of 11 qualifiers, falling only twice, against Bordeaux (1986/87) and, 26 years ago, against Bastia (1997/98).

On their side, Benfica also has an undefeated home record in Europa League matches (since 2009/10), with a total of 29, and teams that have played at Luz include Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, Juventus, Paris-Saint Germain and Bayer Leverkusen, among others.

The 'incarnates' also have an impeccable record in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals, as they have always won, against Liverpool (2-1), PSV Eindhoven (4-1), Newcastle (3-1), AZ Alkmaar (1-0, away) and Eintracht Frankfurt (4-2).

Roger Schmidt's team will, therefore, seek victory, in order to have an advantage at the Vélodrome, where the tie will be decided on 17 April.

However, Benfica does not arrive at this match with high spirits, after two matches with Sporting in which they even performed well, but failed miserably in terms of results, not achieving the victories they needed.

The Europa League is the competition that remains and the 'incarnates' will also face a team in a bad moment, 'lost' in eighth place in Ligue 1, which does not give access to participation in any of the three European competitions next season.

Coach Jean-Louis Gasset, who succeeded Italian Gennaro Gattuso on 20 February, has lost the last four matches, after starting his campaign at the club with five wins, including a 4-0 home win over Villarreal, in the first leg of the Europa League round of 16.

In Spain, where they arrived practically qualified for the 'quarter-finals', Marseille were losing 3-0, to end up being defeated 3-1, and then added three consecutive defeats in the championship, against Rennes, Paris Saint-Germain and Lille, the latter on Friday, away, by 3-1.

Even though he has not scored in four matches, Gabonese forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has already scored a 'hat-trick' and a 'brace' against Benfica, for Borussia Dortmund (2016/17) and Arsenal (2020/21), respectively, is the Gauls' greatest weapon, at a time when he is the top scorer in the Europa League (nine goals) and fourth in Ligue 1 (11).

With regard to the other 'quarter-final' duels, the Italian clash between AC Milan and Roma stands out, with the opening match at San Siro, while Bayer Leverkusen (West Ham) and Liverpool (Atalanta), who start at home, are clear favourites to reach the 'semi-finals'.

The match between Benfica and Marseille, the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals, will take place on Thursday, starting at 8 pm, at the Estádio da Luz, in Lisbon.

Leia Também: Do balneário à enorme festa. Sporting revela imagens de dérbi com Benfica (Portuguese version)