Evening all. So far, Manchester United have made Group A look even more pipsqueak than it first seemed, and they can more or less seal qualification with a win tonight. as well as their own excellent form, things have gone so nicely because Benfica, seemingly the next best side, have contrived to lose to both Basel and CSKA Moscow. Given the absolute state of both of those, it's hard to see beyond an away win - but surely the home lot have to improve?
Champions League / Group Stage
Estádio da Luz / 18.10.2017
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- M. Rashford(64')
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Updated 18/10/2017 at 20:42 GMT
19'
United haven't got their passing and movement going yet. Herrera is another who has barely had a kick.
18'
Thomas Muller has given Bayern Munich the lead against Celtic.
16'
Anyway Rashford wins United a corner, and presumably mindful of Svilar's callowness, sticks it under the bar. Lukaku rises, beats him to the ball easily, and cracks a header against the bar, but the ref apprehends some kind of foul.
16'
Rashford touches the ball for what looks like the first time. We may still be waiting for Lukaku's debut.
15'
Lovely from Benfica, Diogo beating Mata and feeding Grimaldo who crossed low and hard. Running towards the near post, Salvio arrived ahead of Blind, but the defender's presence meant that he could only crack wide. Perhaps he might've run over the ball, given Pizzi behind him, but I'm not sure Blind wouldn't have got in the way.
13'
Svilar is down, having injured himself , whole we see that Ruben Dias took his knuck from Filipe Augusto.
13'
Oh dear, oh dear. Valencia moves the ball to the left, where Mkhitaryan appears and looks to drag is along the touchline only to run it out of play instead.
12'
David Luiz has given Chelsea the lead at home to Roma. Meanwhile, Ruben Dias has taken a knuck on the heed and is off the pitch applying ice.
11'
Benfica waste the corner, but then win another and this time Pizzi's delivery is good, Smalling averting the danger with a decent back-header.
10'
Mata does well to slide a pass in behind for Lukaku, but Ruben Dias intercepts and Benfica break, moving the ball nicely. Diogo Goncalves ends up crossing from the right, but Herrera gets a flick and Matic humps behind.
9'
Nice from Mkhitaryan, who wriggles between two challenges just inside the centre-circle. So Pizzi brings him down and does well to avoid a card.
8'
Frist flash of United, Matic picking a pass through to Mata at inside-right. The flag goes up, but he looked in line to me.
7'
Not much going on here, basically.
5'
Luisao marks that 527th appearance in the proper manner, cracking Mkhitaryan with a kind of elbow-upper-arm smash. He's booked and doesn't like it.
4'
Nice from Lindelof, clipping a studied pass over the top and into the inside-right channel for Lukaku. Svila decides to come out of his box for it, clearing via diving header.
3'
Grimaldo goes down the left and crosses deep ... United get the ball away easily enough.
3'
Luisao makes a clearance in this, his 527th game for the club. Only two players can beat that.
2'
Jonas, Benfica's leading scorer, is on the bench tonight, not properly fit. But their travails have come about principally because 16 players left the club in the summer. Good old football.
1'
Off we go!
19:46
Iker Casillas is the answer.
19:45
Svilar is all set to be the youngest keeper ever to play in the Champions League; whose record is he breaking?