Arsenal: Benfica’s strengths, weaknesses, style, form and key men

When the draw was made for the knockout stages of the Europa League, Arsenal could hardly have been pitted in a tougher tie than Benfica in the round of 32.

Braga, perhaps? Lille are flying high in Ligue 1 and wouldn’t have been overly welcome? Yet, it was the Portuguese side’s pedigree that made them the standout option and, lo and behold, Arsenal drew them.

With the tie taking place away from home first for the Gunners in Rome with the return leg in Athens, do Mikel Arteta’s side have what it takes to come out on top over two matches?

We’ll have to wait and see for that, but until then it’s time to profile Thursday’s opponents and identify where their strengths and weakness lie, how they’ve performed this season and what style they implement.

Arsenal: Profiling Benfica’s strengths, weaknesses, style, form and key men

Looking across their squad, the quality is evident. Strikers with experience are blended neatly with exciting young forwards, while their backline boasts Premier League titles and Champions League know-how.

However, it’s in the dugout where one of their key strengths lies, as the vastly experienced Jorge Jesus is in his second spell with the club after retaking the reins at the beginning of the season.

Extensive knowledge of Portuguese football will do him no favours here, but countless trophies in his homeland and silverware abroad are testament to his managerial acumen. In his first spell at Estadio de Luiz, he reached two Europa League finals so the 66-year-old knows precisely what is required to perform in this competition.

An avid researcher, there will be no repeats of Marcelo Bielsa claiming that Arteta planned for this match better than him, and he will know every weakness within this Gunners team. He also knows Pablo Mari first hand.

He does, of course, need the players to suit his approach and notable among this Benfica side is how they spread goals throughout the team. There are 41 goals shared among their top five scorers with strike duo Haris Seferovic and Darwin Núñez sitting on 12 apiece.

Their attacking philosophy has served them well this season netting 76 goals in 39 matches for an average of just under two per match. Defensively they boast good numbers in Primeira Liga, although the quality of opposition in that division miscues the stat somewhat.