Liverpool now know the route they must take if they want to reach the Champions League final. The Reds have been drawn against Benfica in the quarter-final of the competition, with the first leg taking place in Portugal before the return leg at Anfield.
Should Jurgen Klopp’s side claim victory over Benfica, they would then earn a semi-final clash against either Villarreal or Bayern Munich.
It will be the first time that Liverpool have faced Benfica since the 2009/10 Europa League campaign, which the Reds won 5-3 on aggregate in the quarter-final. The two clubs also met in the Champions League last-16 in 2005/06, which Liverpool lost 3-0 on aggregate.
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While Liverpool may not have faced Benfica for some time, they have at least one player in their ranks who has recent history with the club. Luis Diaz only arrived on Merseyside in January, and before his £49million move he had three years with Porto.
Benfica and Porto are two of the clubs in Portugal who regularly battle for the league title, and Diaz has certainly made an impact when he has faced them. The 25-year-old has played against Benfica seven times in his career and never been beaten. He has ended up on the winning side on five occasions, with two draws.
He has one goal to his name against Liverpool’s Champions League opponents, which came in December 2020 in the Supertaca Candido de Oliveira, which is the Portuguese equivalent of the Community Shield. Rather interestingly, Diaz also has one red card to his name in his entire time with Porto - and it came against Benfica.
When the two teams met in the Taca de Portugal in August 2020, Diaz started the same but did not last too long. After nine minutes he was handed his first yellow card of the match, and then in the 38th minute he was given his marching orders with a second yellow.
Porto went on to win the game 2-1, in the end. It was the only red card Diaz picked up in 125 appearances with Porto, and the third of his entire professional career.
