Benfica and Bayern Munich face off in Charlotte on Tuesday in a Group C decider at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Bayern followed up their historic thrashing of Auckland City with a battling 2-1 win over Boca Juniors on matchday two to secure their passage to the knockout phase of the tournament.
Benfica, who sit second in the group on four points, are in pole position to join them. However, the Portuguese side will expect Boca to rack up a big victory over Auckland, so the only way they can be sure of going through is to take at least a point from this final game.
Bayern hope to have attacking star Jamal Musiala back from injury, so Bruno Lage and his players will be well aware of the scale of the task at hand - especially given they have a key defensive absentee.
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Benfica vs. Bayern Munich lineups, team news
Striker Andrea Belotti must serve the second of his two-game ban in this decider, so Vangelis Pavlidis will likely lead the line again. Perhaps more significantly, left-back Alvaro Carreras is also suspended after earning two yellow cards in the first two games. Samuel Dahl should replace him.
Gianluca Prestianni impressed against Auckland and could keep his place in the attack, while head coach Lage will need to decide whether veteran Angel Di Maria is ready for a third start in a row. Renato Sanches could return to the lineup against his former club to add some extra cover in central midfield.
Some of Benfica's preparations have been overshadowed by a touchline row between Lage and Orkun Kokcu, who was furious at being substituted against Auckland. A Bola reported on Sunday that the issue has been put to bed, so he should be in the squad.
Benfica predicted lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Trubin (GK) —Aursnes, Silva, Otamendi, Dahl — Barreiro, Sanches — Di Maria, Prestianni, Akturtoglu — Pavlidis
Injured: Florentino (undisc.)
Suspended: Belotti, Carreras
Yellow card away from suspension: Pavlidis, Kokcu, Bajrami
Benfica full roster
Goalkeepers: Diogo Ferreira, Andre Gomes, Anatoliy Trubin
Defenders: Adrian Bajrami, Samuel Dahl, Alvaro Fernandez, Goncalo Oliveira, Nicolas Otamendi, Leandro Santos, Antonio Silva, Rui Silva, Joshua Wynder
Midfielders: Fredrik Aursnes, Leandro Barreiro, Orkun Kokcu, Florentino Luis, Rafael Luis, Diogo Prioste, Renato Sanches, Joao Veloso
Forwards: Kerem Akturkoglu, Andrea Belotti, Bruma, Angel Di Maria, Eduardo Fernandes, Tiago Gouveia, Evangelos Pavlidis, Gianluca Prestianni, Joao Rego, Andreas Schjelderup.
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Bayern should have Jamal Musiala available after he returned to training at the weekend despite initial fears of a longer-term injury sustained in the win over Boca. If he is not fit to start, Serge Gnabry could keep his place in the No. 10 role.
Kim Min-jae is also training again after a minor injury, but he is more likely to start on the bench.
Vincent Kompany used Sacha Boey and then Konrad Laimer at right-back in the first two games, so he will have a decision to make for this decider. Otherwise, expect the team to look similar to the one from matchday two.
Bayern Munich predicted lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Neuer (GK) — Laimer, Stanisic, Tah, Guerreiro — Kimmich, Goretzka — Olise, Gnabry, Coman — Kane
Injured: Musiala (knock, doubt), Kim (knock, doubt)
Suspended: None
Yellow card away from suspension: Goretzka
Bayern Munich full roster
Goalkeepers: Leon Klanac, Manuel Neuer, Daniel Peretz, Jonas Urbig
Defenders: Adam Aznou, Sacha Boey, Eric Dier, Raphael Guerreiro Cassiano Kiala, Kim Min-jae, Josip Stanisic, Jonathan Tah, Dayot Upamecano
Midfielders: Tom Bischof, Leon Goretzka, Lennard Karl, Joshua Kimmich, Maurice Krattenmacher, Konrad Laimer, Jamal Musiala, Joao Palhinha, Aleksandar Pavlovic, David Santos
Forwards: Kingsley Coman, Serge Gnabry, Harry Kane, Jonah Kusi-Asare, Wisdon Mike, Thomas Muller, Michael Olise, Gabriel Vidovic.
Benfica vs. Bayern Munich score prediction
Benfica can still overtake Bayern with a victory here, but a draw would suit both of these teams as it would ensure Bayern win the group and the Portuguese side progress with them.
With that in mind, and given the conditions in Charlotte are predicted to be very hot once more, it seems unlikely that either side will push hard for a win unless the scoreline in the other game forces Benfica's hand.
Predicted score: Benfica 1-1 Bayern Munich
How to watch Benfica vs. Bayern Munich: Live stream, TV channel
Here's how to watch this match across selected areas of the world's major regions:
| Region | Date | Kickoff Time | TV | Streaming |
| USA/Canada | Tue, Jun. 24 | 3:00 p.m. ET | TNT USA, UniMas, TUDN USA, truTV USA | DAZN, Fubo, Watch TNT, TUDN app |
| USA/Canada | Tue, Jun. 24 | 12:00 p.m. PT | — | DAZN |
| UK | Tue, Jun. 24 | 8:00 p.m. BST | — | DAZN |
| Australia | Wed, Jun. 25 | 5:00 a.m. AEST | — | DAZN, Kayo Sports, Foxtel Now |
| India | Wed, Jun. 25 | 12:30 a.m. IST | — | DAZN, tabii |