Two Portuguese managers face off against each other as Zenit St Petersburg take on SL Benfica at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal on Tuesday.
Where to Watch Live
The match is set for a 7.45 pm BST (12.15 am IST) start with live coverage on Ten Sports in India. The match can also be watched via live streaming online in India HERE. Catch the action in the UK on Sky Sports Red Button, with the option to live stream the match online HERE.
Viewers in the US can watch the Champions League game on Fox Soccer Plus and ESPN Deportes+, with an option to live stream HERE. Audience in the Middle East and North Africa can catch the action via live streaming HERE, while South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa viewers can do the same HERE.
Benfica are unbeaten in their last four Champions League openers. They have done particularly well in the Europa League in the last two seasons, but they will be looking to step up their Champions League performance this season. However, it will not be an easy group for them as all the other teams - Zenit, Bayer Leverkusen, and AS Monaco are strong sides.
Also, Benfica will be looking to extract maximum points out of tonight's match as they have an unbeaten record against Russian teams at home. Their current record stands at four wins, two draws and no defeats.
However there are some sub-plots within this story, with the likes of Axel Witsel, Ezequiel Garay and Javi Garcia returning to their former clubs. Also, Zenit (and former Porto) head coach Andre Villas-Boas will return to his former archrivals' stadium, looking to take some points off them. Benfica coach Jorge Jesus will be weary of them.
"Axel Witsel and Javi Garcia are in a better position than me – they know how exactly to stop us as they worked with me at Benfica two seasons ago," Jesus told UEFA.com. "I have lost and I have won [against André Villas-Boas] and I am proud to be one of six Portuguese coaches in the Champions League."
Meanwhile, Zenit have lost their last three Champions League openers, and are in desperate need to stop that trend this time round. One good sign for them is that they have won previously in Portugal, beating Porto 1-0 last season, with Aleksandr Kerzhakov scoring the winner.
Manager Villas-Boas will however try to use all his knowledge of Portuguese football, and all the inputs he can get from Witsel, Garay and Garcia about how his Benfica counterpart Jesus runs the show. Also, the Russians will bank on Brazilian forward Hulk inflicting heavy damage on the Portuguese. Hulk has scored five goals against Benfica, in just 12 matches, during his time at Porto (2008-12).
Villas-Boas could also get inside information from Luis Neto and Danny, both of whom have played with the likes of Ruben Amorim, Eliseu, Nelson Oliveira, Andre Almeida and Pizzi, during their tenure in Portugal.
"The fact some of us are coming home or returning to former employers cannot be used as an excuse to relax; instead it has to work as extra motivation," Villas Boas told UEFA.com. "We are here to win. It's a tough group and picking up points on your travels could be very important. A draw would be a good result, but I am not saying that I will field a team to play for a draw."
