Liverpool head into the game against Benfica with a commanding 3-1 aggregate lead as they look to progress to the Champions League semi-finals.
Goals from Ibrahima Konate, Sadio Mane and Luis Diaz see Liverpool return to Anfield with a strong advantage over the Portuguese outfit. Jurgen Klopp's side looked comfortable for large periods of the first leg, but an error from Konate allowed Darwin Nunez to give Benfica a lifeline in the tie.
Liverpool were able to keep in touching distance of the Premier League title at the weekend, drawing 2-2 away against Manchester City at the Etihad. The Reds remain in contention for a historic quadruple, as they look to progress into the last four of the Champions League.
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Klopp is likely to rotate his side for the second leg against Benfica, with an important FA Cup semi-final against City on the horizon, with Naby Keita, Luis Diaz and Konate all expected to start as they did in Lisbon a week ago. Roberto Firmino could come into the attack alongside Diaz and Mohamed Salah after the Brazilian missed out on a start at the weekend.
So, what line-ups will both teams select and what could the final score be? We used FIFA 22 to get a score prediction for Liverpool against Benfica on Wednesday and this is what happened. We used kick-off mode in FIFA 22, but didn't select a team to control, we then selected the teams and watched the match play out by itself, to give us a score prediction...
Liverpool v Benfica score predicted by simulation
Liverpool could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson, Keita; Salah, Firmino, Diaz.
Benfica could set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Vlachodimos; Gilberto, Otamendi, Vertonghen, Grimaldo; Weigl, Taarabt; Rafa, Ramos, Everton; Nunez.
Liverpool started slowly but soon found the lead through Salah who popped up at the back post to slot past Vlachodimos in the 23rd minute, giving Liverpool an early 1-0 lead and extending their aggregate advantage. Luis Diaz started the move just inside Benfica's half, bursting down the left wing before cutting inside on his right foot and sliding a pinpoint pass through a crowd of players to Salah, as the Egyptian tucked the ball into the bottom corner.
Liverpool grew more confident on the ball and started to control the game, as they did in Lisbon, with Konate and Van Dijk handling the threat of Nunez. Diaz almost doubled the Reds' lead but his fierce shot from the edge of the box rattled the crossbar and went behind for a Benfica goal kick.
Benfica found an equaliser early in the second half through Rafa Silva at the Eagles reduced the deficit to just two goals on aggregate, making it 1-1 on the night. Winger Everton got in behind Trent Alexander-Arnold on Liverpool's right side and fired the ball across the penalty box for Rafa to tap home from close range, giving Alisson no chance as the Reds failed to pick up and mark their men.
Benfica continued to fight as Liverpool introduced fresh legs in midfield with James Milner and Harvey Elliott replacing Fabinho and Keita. Klopp's side soaked up a lot of pressure from the visitors but held onto their 4-2 aggregate lead heading into the final 10 minutes at Anfield.
Roberto Firmino sealed Liverpool's place in the Champions League semi-finals with a quality volleyed finish past Vlachodimos in the 89th minute. The Brazilian drifted into the penalty box, hovering around the penalty spot and latched onto Elliott's chipped cross as he volleyed home the Reds' second goal of the night to make it 2-1.
Klopp's side confirmed their spot in the last four of the Champions League, continuing their fight on all fronts in the hunt for a historic quadruple.
FIFA 22 predicted final score: Liverpool 2-1 Benfica (5-2 agg)
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 22 predicts that Liverpool could progress into the Champions League semi-finals after a 2-1 win over Benfica at Anfield, with Salah and Firmino scoring the vital goals to squash any hope of a Benfica comeback. The Reds grew into the game with their quality ultimately proving too much for the Portuguese side who put up a good fight in both legs.
