Benfica vs. Arsenal Live Stream: Watch Europa League Online, TV Channel, Lineups
Benfica and Arsenal open their Europa League round-of-32 series in Rome, with the first leg on Thursday being played at a neutral venue, the Stadio Olimpico, due to coronavirus protocols.
Both legs, in fact, will be played at neutral sites, with Arsenal "hosting" the second leg in Greece.
Arsenal coasted through the group stage, winning all six of its group games (vs. Molde, Rapid Wien and Dundalk) and outscoring its opponents 20-5. Benfica also went unbeaten, though at 3-0-3 it finished second behind Rangers in its group, which also contained Standard Liege and Lech Poznan.
How to Watch:
Time: 3 p.m. ET
TV Channel: UniMas
Live Stream: You can stream the game on fuboTV. Sign up now for a free seven-day trial. You can also watch it via CBS All Access.
Lineups:
Benfica XI: Helton; Veríssimo, Otamendi, Vertonghen; Diogo Gonçalves, Weigl, Taarabt, Grimaldo; Pizzi, Darwin, Waldschmidt
Arsenal XI: Leno; Bellerin, Luiz, Gabriel, Soares; Ceballos, Xhaka; Saka, Smith Rowe, Ødegaard; Aubameyang
With the winner of the Europa League sealing automatic entry into next season's Champions League, both teams may view this competition as the most direct way to qualify for next season's UCL–especially Arsenal. Both are currently outside of the Champions League places in their respective leagues, though Benfica is just two points out of a qualifying-round place and three out of an automatic berth. Arsenal is considerably further back, eight points (and six places) out of fourth in the Premier League.
Veteran Benfica midfielder Pizzi tied for the lead among all scorers with six in the Europa League group stage, while young forward Darwin Nunez was one behind with five, forming a dynamic attacking punch for the Portuguese side.
Arsenal had a more balanced approach in the opening phase, with Eddie Nketiah, Joe Willock and Nicolas Pepe each scoring three goals and Folarin Balogun scoring two. Though many of the lesser-heralded players led the way in the group stage, Mikel Arteta is likely to turn to his more trusted starters considering how important the competition could be for Arsenal's immediate future.
