In one of the more interesting ties of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 matchups, Belgian champions Club Brugge face off against Portuguese powerhouses SL Benfica. Since Scott Parker took over the Belgian giants at the beginning of January, they have not been in the greatest form, with only one win since that time. However, they have also only lost once, with the majority of their recent matches ending in draws. On the flip side, Roger Schmidt has his Benfica side flying, with the club five points clear of Porto in the Primeira Liga. The Portuguese giants also went into this tie as group winners, after topping a group that contained Maccabi Haifa, PSG, and Juventus.
The first leg in Bruges was a fascinating encounter, with Benfica coming out of the match 2-0 winners after goals from João Mário (P), and David Neres, with Club Brugge having it all to do in the second leg in Lisbon. There also was a few things to take out of this matchup from a tactical perspective from both sides, with this scout report and tactical analysis breaking these tactics down in more detail.
Lineups
For Club Brugge, Scott Parker opted for a 4-2-3-1/ 4-4-2 formation, with Club Brugge stalwart and former Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet starting in goal. The back four from left to right was Bjorn Meijer, Brandon Mechele, Jack Hendry and former Angolan international Clinton Mata. Moving up into midfield, the double pivot consisted of Raphael Onyedika and Denis Odoi. Parker opted for no true number nine to start this match, with the attacking four consisting of Tajon Buchanan, captain Hans Vanaken, Kamal Sowah, and Dutch international Noa Lang. For parts of this match, Lang and Vanaken played as the two forwards, with the formation altering to a 4-4-2. This tactic of no true forward hurt the Belgians, as this analysis will show shortly.
On the opposite side, Roger Schmidt matched the 4-2-3-1 of Club Brugge, with Odisseas Vlachodimos starting in goal. From left to right, the Portuguese giants back four was Alejandro Grimaldo, Nicolás Otamendi, 19-year-old Portugal international António Silvam, and Alexander Bah. Chiquinho and Florentino were tasked with anchoring the midfield, with Fredrik Aursnes, Rafa Silva, and João Mário playing ahead of them in attacking midfield. Starting up top for the Portuguese side was the talented 21-year-old striker Gonçalo Ramos.
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