Champions League: X- ray of the Benfica-Maccabi Haifa match

Benfica kicks off its Champions League group stage participation at Estádio da Luz against Maccabi Haifa. The game from matchday 1 of group H is scheduled for 8 pm on Tuesday, September 6.

The two teams are facing each other for the first time officially and come into this game on a good note. The eagles are on the back of nine consecutive wins in 2022/23 – counting both Liga Bwin and Champions League matches – and the last match resulted in a victory full of emotion and determination against Vizela, by 2-1.

Maccabi Haifa clinched the same result, but away from home. Facing Hapoel Beer Sheva, of the former Benfica player Miguel Vítor, Benfica's opponent was trailing, but, in stoppage time (90'+2'), got the winning goal and hasthree winsin three matches in the Israeli Championship, and thus avenging the defeat, in the penalty shootout (3-4), against this same opponent in the Super Cup. 

Founded in 1913, the club from Haifa has 14 Israeli Championships, 6 Israeli Cups, 1 Super Cup and 4 League Cups in its list of honors.

Coached by Barak Bakhar, Maccabi Haifa has shown great tactical variability, alternating between 4x2x3x1 and 4x3x3, and there have been games in which they have lined up with a three-defender system. Still, it is possible to identify the typical starting eleven of the eagles' opponent, based on the most used players this season: Josh Cohen, Daniel Sundgren, Bogdan Planic, Sean Goldberg, Pierre Cornud, Neta Lavi, Ali Mohamed, Chery, Pierrot, Dean David and Haziza.

ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES

The off-season was eventful in Haifa, with seven arrivals and 14 departures. Pierre Cornud (Oviedo), Pierrot (Guingamp), Daniel Sundgren (Aris), Nikita Rukavytsya (Hapoel Beer Sheva), Yinon Eliyahu (Maccabi Petah Tikva), Sharif Kaiuf (Hapoel Afula) e Dylan Batubinsika (Famalicão) have arrived at the club. Ryan Strain, Godsway Donyoh, Alphonse, Omar Kabillo, Taleb Tawatha, Itamar Guri, Liav Salkind, Mohammed Fani, Itamar Israeli, Mohamad Amer, Sharif Kaiuf, Nevo Shedo, José Rodríguez e Bogdan Planic left the club.