Benfica caretaker boss Nelson Verissimo believes scoring the first goal will be imperative if his side are to dump Liverpool out of the Champions League at Anfield in tonight’s UEA Champions League.

The Reds are in a strong position having won the first leg in Portugal 3-1 last week, with Ibrahima Konate, Sadio Mane and Luis Diaz all on the scoresheet.

Liverpool then claimed a pulsating 2-2 draw at Manchester City on Sunday afternoon but and take on their rivals in the FA Cup semi-finals this weekend.

Tonight though, Liverpool have to make sure they see through the job against a dangerous Benfica side.

With Villarreal awaiting in the semi-finals after beating Bayern Munich, Liverpool will know they have a great chance of reaching the final.

Benfica have a monumental challenge to pull off an unlikely upset against Liverpool.

However, Verissimo is of the opinion that the team must score first at Anfield to overcome Liverpool.

He said: “We know that we are two goals down but we believe that things can change, especially if we score a goal first.

“We’re going with that ambition, despite having lost the first leg. After the analysis we did, we realise that despite the difficulty we know we’re going to encounter, we have to believe.”

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