AC Milan v Benfica: European heavyweights meet in Europa League opener

AC Milan and Benfica, two former European champions, begin their UEFA Europa League campaigns against each other at San Siro on Wednesday evening. Both clubs missed out on the UEFA Champions League last season but remain among the leading contenders to lift the trophy in Frankfurt next spring.

Milan’s six defeats in their final 10 league matches last season cost them a place in Europe’s premier competition and led to a swift change in the club’s leadership. Max Allegri’s second spell ended after one year, with Ruben Amorim appointed to restore the Rossoneri’s fortunes.

Amorim’s side are unbeaten so far. They defeated Torino and Venezia before drawing with Juventus and Lazio in contrasting circumstances. Juventus equalised late on in Turin, while Milan recovered from two goals down to earn a hard-fought draw in Rome.

The Italian giants are back in continental competition for the first time since losing in the 2024-2025 UEFA Champions League qualifying play-offs.

Amorim faces former club

Amorim’s most recent European campaign ended in defeat in the 2025 UEFA Europa League final as Manchester United manager, following his success at the highest level with Sporting Portugal. His return to the competition begins against Benfica, the club he represented for nine years as a player.

Benfica have never beaten Milan in six official meetings. That record includes defeats in the European Cup finals of 1963 and 1990.

Like Milan, Portugal’s most decorated club endured a disappointing domestic campaign last season, finishing third in the Primeira Liga under Jose Mourinho. New manager Marco Silva therefore had to guide Benfica through the UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds.

A surprise defeat by St Gallen in the opening stage was followed by a 5-0 victory in the return fixture. Benfica then overcame Hearts 7-2 on aggregate and AGF 6-2 on aggregate to reach the league phase.

The Eagles have since won four consecutive domestic matches and scored 12 goals. Their latest success came against Gil Vicente, when a late surge turned a potential home draw into a 3-1 victory. It was their seventh consecutive win in all competitions, although a trip to Porto follows soon after the Milan match.

Milan’s recent record in all competitions is V V N N, while Benfica’s UEFA Europa League sequence is D V V N V V. Benfica’s overall form is V V V V V V.

Team news and predicted line-ups

Amorim may rotate his squad, although Milan are expected to retain their 3-4-2-1 formation. Mattia Gabbia and Mario Gila recovered from minor issues and were included in the squad to face Lazio.

The main selection question concerns Luka Modric. The 41-year-old Croatia playmaker has made 156 European appearances, but his most recent match outside the UEFA Champions League came in November 2011.

Goncalo Ramos could face his former club if selected, with Alphadjo Cisse, Alexis Saelemaekers, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Omari Hutchinson and Christian Pulisic also competing for attacking roles.

Benfica’s forward line is led by Vangelis Pavlidis, who scored six times in qualifying. He has already registered eight Primeira Liga goals and averages one goal every two UEFA competition matches.

Alexander Bah misses out with a shoulder injury. Daniel Banjaqui or captain Fredrik Aursnes is expected to cover at right-back.

Predicted AC Milan XI: Maignan; De Winter, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Chukwueze, Modric, Musah, Moreira; Pulisic, Cisse; Ramos.

Predicted Benfica XI: Soares; Aursnes, Araujo, Lenglet, Dahl; Palhinha, Barreiro; Silva, Prestianni, Schjelderup; Pavlidis.

Milan are still searching for balance under Amorim, while Benfica have begun Silva’s tenure with a series of high-scoring performances. A 2-2 draw is predicted, with the listed exact-score price at 10.00. The other suggested outcomes are more than 2.5 goals at 1.58, both teams to score at 1.50 and a draw at 3.60.