Benfica vs. Ajax lineups: Haller looks to continue red-hot scoring form

Lisbon, Feb 23, 2022 (AFP) - The prolific Sebastien Haller leads the Ajax attack against Benfica in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie in Lisbon on Wednesday.

The Ivory Coast striker scored 10 times in the group stage, becoming just the second player to find the net in all six group games in a Champions League campaign after Cristiano Ronaldo in 2017.

He netted four times on his last visit to the Portuguese capital, when Ajax beat Sporting 5-1 in September.

Haller will be flanked by the Brazilian international Antony and captain Dusan Tadic as the Dutch giants look to take a positive result back to Amsterdam for the return next month.

Benfica have a prolific marksman of their own in the Uruguayan Darwin Nunez, who has scored 23 times in total this season including a brace in a 3-0 demolition of Barcelona in September.

The Portuguese club qualified from their group at the expense of Barcelona but coach Jorge Jesus was sacked at the end of December, with Nelson Verissimo replacing him.

He makes one change to the Benfica team that drew 2-2 with Boavista in the league at the weekend, with Brazilian right-back Gilberto replacing Valentino Lazaro.

Belgian centre-back Jan Vertonghen began his career at Ajax before leaving for Tottenham Hotspur in 2012 and then joining Benfica in 2020.

Benfica (4-4-2)

Odisseas Vlachodimos; Gilberto, Nicolas Otamendi (capt), Jan Vertonghen, Alex Grimaldo; Rafa Silva, Julian Weigl, Adel Taarabt, Everton; Goncalo Ramos, Darwin Nunez

Coach: Nelson Verissimo (POR)

Ajax (4-3-3)

Remko Pasveer; Noussair Mazraoui, Jurrien Timber, Lisandro Martinez, Daley Blind; Edson Alvarez, Steven Berghuis, Ryan Gravenberch; Antony, Sebastien Haller, Dusan Tadic (capt)

Coach: Erik ten Hag (NED)

Referee: Slavko Vincic (SLO)