One of the opening games in the Champions League quarter-finals will be played in Portugal on Tuesday. It will be hosted by one of the two unexpected participants in this late stage of the tournament. Benfica and Villarreal have certainly earned their place in the quarter-finals, but their prospects at the start of the European season for such success seemed dim to bookmakers and ordinary football fans alike.

The Portuguese club had a sensation at the last stage of the play-offs. Sure, at first glance, Benfica and Ajax might appear to be tied, but the Dutch champions were so confident in the group stage that they were favourites to take on the Eagles. Nevertheless, Benfica drew at home in the first leg and then won at home in Amsterdam. On the domestic scene, Benfica are not optimistic, but they will certainly clinch their place in the 2022/2023 Champions League qualifiers. Currently, the Eagles are in third place, nine points behind second-placed Sporting and ahead of fourth-placed Braga. In fact, Benfica lost to the latter in the last round of the championship with a 2-3 scoreline.

Liverpool, meanwhile, have already won one national title this season and continue to fight for two more. This includes a battle for the league title, which the Merseysiders have wedged themselves into in 2022 as seriously as possible. Klopp's long-term winning streak and Manchester City's increasingly consistent run of defeats has resulted in Liverpool trailing by just one point on Matchday 31. The Reds snatched a spot in the Champions League quarter-finals against Inter in Italy 2:0- but then tickled their own fans' nerves with a 0-1 defeat at home.

Liverpool have been playing as pragmatically as possible in the last couple of months, finishing 1-0 or 2-0 in nearly every game. The Reds are likely to do the same in Portugal. It is unlikely that the home side will be particularly attack-oriented in their first encounter with such a formidable opponent. It's a safe bet that four or more goals won't be scored in this encounter.