Three days after putting Gil Vicente to the sword 3-1 in Lisbon, Benfica travel to Milan for their UEFA Europa League league stage debut carrying the kind of momentum that makes them a genuine threat from matchday one. Marco Silva’s side have won five straight across all competitions, scoring 16 goals in the process, and they arrive at San Siro looking every bit like a team that has found its rhythm early in the season. AC Milan, by contrast, head into this European opener off the back of a 2-2 draw at Lazio, a result that keeps Ruben Amorim’s side searching for consistency at the back. The contrast in form between these two sides is what makes this first meeting in competitive European football so watchable.
What’s at stake
The UEFA Europa League league stage works on a single-table format across 36 clubs, with the top eight advancing directly to the round of 16 and places nine through 24 heading into knockout playoffs. With eight matchdays ahead, the opening game carries real weight: a win builds a points cushion that allows rotation and risk management later; a loss forces both clubs to chase from the start. For a competition that rewards consistency over eight rounds rather than knockout nerves, getting off the mark at home matters especially for Milan.
For Benfica, a positive result in Milan would confirm their European credentials after a strong domestic start. Silva’s squad has the firepower, with Vangelis Pavlidis already at five league goals in the Primeira Liga this season, and a performance here would signal they are not merely making up the numbers in this competition. Milan need a win to set the tone at home and give Amorim’s project a European foundation to build on, particularly after domestic draws against Juventus and Lazio suggested the defensive structure still has questions to answer.
How they got here
Benfica arrive in the best shape of the two sides. Their last five results read W-W-W-W-W, with victories over Gil Vicente (3-1), Moreirense (4-0), Maritimo (3-0), Estoril (2-1), and Aarhus in Europe (3-1). That is 16 goals scored and a defensive record that has barely been tested. Milan’s last five tell a different story: a pre-season win over Manchester United, two league wins over Torino and Venezia, and then back-to-back draws in Serie A, 1-1 at Juventus and 2-2 at Lazio. Amorim’s men are scoring but giving goals away at the other end.
The only previous competitive meeting between these clubs came in the 2019 International Champions Cup, where Benfica won 1-0. The head-to-head record in that context gives Benfica a narrow historical edge, though both clubs recognize that a July friendly seven years ago is hardly a reliable guide to a high-stakes European night.
Key battle to watch
The duel between Benfica’s attacking line and Milan’s unsettled defensive shape is the tactical hinge of this game. Pavlidis, with five Primeira Liga goals already, has been sharp in tight spaces and clever in behind. Milan conceded twice at Lazio after giving up a goal against Juventus, suggesting the backline is vulnerable to direct, quick transitions. Benfica under Silva tend to press high and recycle quickly into the final third, so if Christian Pulisic and Gonçalo Ramos can pin Benfica’s defensive line, Milan have the tools to counter. But if Benfica’s press works and Pavlidis is given room to operate, Milan’s defensive questions will be exposed on a European stage.
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Our Prediction
Benfica’s form is simply too good to ignore heading into this fixture. Five straight wins and 16 goals suggest a side that is well-drilled, confident in front of goal, and used to handling different styles of opponent. Milan have enough individual quality with Pulisic and Ramos to threaten, but the defensive vulnerabilities shown in their last two Serie A games are a real concern against a Benfica attack this sharp. Expect a competitive first half, but Benfica’s relentless pressing and Pavlidis’s movement to give them the edge over the course of 90 minutes.