Benfica exchanged information with Premier League club ahead of UEFA Champions League showdown with Liverpool: Reports
Benfica have gathered information about Liverpool from Wolverhampton Wanderers ahead of their UEFA Champions League tie with the Reds, according to Portuguese sports daily A Bola.
Jurgen Klopp's side have been pitted against the Primeira Liga giants in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The first leg of the tie is scheduled to take place in Lisbon on Tuesday night.
Benfica vs Liverpool 🏴
🇵🇹 Benfica vs Liverpool 🏴
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Liverpool are deemed to have received the easiest draw among the final eight clubs in the Champions League. Many expect the Reds to get past Benfica and book a place in the semi-finals without much trouble.
Benfica, though, do not intend to go down without a fight against the Premier League giants. The Portuguese outfit have been doing their homework behind the scenes ahead of their Champions League showdown with the Anfield outfit.
According to the aforementioned source, the Eagles have been in touch with Liverpool's Premier League rivals Wolves ahead of Tuesday's match. Benfica have reportedly exchanged information about the Reds with Bruno Lage's side.
Bruno Lage and analysts at Wolves have reportedly ‘helped’ Benfica with information ahead of the Portuguese club playing Liverpool in the Champions League. [via A Bola]
#WWFC | #Wolves https://t.co/sm7CPFTAzl
Benfica interim manager Nelson Verissimo functioned as an assistant to Lage during his spell as the Eagles boss between January 2019 and June 2020. The two also completed level IV of their coaching licenses together.
However, Verissimo has not been in direct contact with Lage ahead of Benfica's Champions League tie with Liverpool. As per the report, it is analysts at both clubs that have exchanged information about Klopp's side.
Benfica are said to have reviewed all the data collected by Wolves' technical team. The Portuguese giants have reportedly studied various aspects of the Reds' playing style, including their behavior in attack and defense.
Wolves faced the Merseyside-based club in the Premier League at home back in December. Lage's side gave Liverpool a run for their money, but suffered a 1-0 defeat thanks to a late winner from Divock Origi.
It remains to be seen if Benfica can cause an upset against the Reds with Wolves' help on Tuesday. The second leg of the quarter-finals is scheduled to take place at Anfield on April 13th.
Liverpool host Wolves in their final league game
The Reds are scheduled to host Wolves at Anfield in their final Premier League match of the season. Having suffered a narrow defeat at Molineux earlier in the campaign, Lage's side will be looking to earn a victory when the two sides meet again in May.
Klopp's side are engaged in a fierce battle with Manchester City for the Premier League title. The Citizens currently enjoy a one-point lead over Liverpool, who travel to the Etihad Stadium this weekend.
Wolves, on the other hand, currently sit eighth in the league table. They are pushing for a top six finish and are just two points behind sixth-placed West Ham.