Champions League: Monaco-Benfica X-ray

Having sealed their passage to the last 16 of the Portuguese Cup with a 7-0 thrashing of Estrela da Amadora, Benfica now turn their attention to the league phase of the Champions League. On matchday 5 of the European competition, the Eagles face Monaco at the Stade Louis II at 8 pm on Wednesday, November 27.

Looking at the record, this will be the third time the two teams have met, and the balance is in favor of the Reds. On their last visit to the Monegasques, the current second-placed team in Ligue 1, the Eagles drew 0-0 in a Champions League Group C clash on October 22, 2014.  In the match at the Estádio da Luz on November 4 of the same year, Benfica won 1-0.

Now, away from home, Bruno Lage's men, who have six points in the competition after two wins against Red Star (1-2) and Atlético Madrid (4-0), are looking for another win against an opponent who has collected 10 points from their four matches in the new competition (wins against Barcelona (2-1), Red Star (5-1) and Bologna (0-1), as well as a 2-2 draw against Dinamo Zagreb).

After four rounds, against Red Star, Atlético de Madrid, Feyenoord and Bayern Munich, Benfica have registered 21 shots on target, according to the statistics provided by UEFA, while their next opponents have managed 25.

In terms of passing efficiency, the two teams are evenly matched (85% success rate). Benfica have 1585 successful passes in 1943 attempts. Monaco have 1671 successful passes out of 1957 attempted. When it comes to dribbling, it's a level playing field (49 for the Eagles and 53 for the Monegasques), and the same goes for the effectiveness of crosses (31.8% against 31.4%).

Among the 36 competitors in this phase, the Monegasque team, coached by Adi Hütter, is the team that commits the most fouls (62), while Benfica's record stands at 38.

The figures also show that the Eagles are the sixth team with the most tackles won (27 in 67 attempts). Monaco are 21st in this parameter (20 out of 57).

On an individual level, Aktürkoğlu stands out for the Eagles with three goals in the 307 minutes he was on the pitch in the four matches. Akliouche and Minamino (two goals) are the opposition's most prolific scorers.

With 43.5 kilometers covered in 304 minutes on the pitch, on the Eagles' side, Aursnes stands out in this parameter. A participant in the previous four matches, with 306 minutes on the pitch, Akliouche is the rival's player with the best rate (45.1 kilometers).

When looking at passing efficiency, of the players who have played in four games, captain Otamendi has the best record (95% with 222 passes in 232 attempts). Zakaria has a similar record, given that the Monaco midfielder has taken 173 chances, scoring well on 164.

Defensively, Florentino also stands out with 26 ball recoveries, five fewer than Singo, the Monegasques' highest-ranked player in this match. The Reds' midfielder is also in 9th place in the tackles won ranking (6/13), beating the Monaco players, as Vanderson (4/9) is the one who stands out the most in this regard.