Novocastrian

Gulf in class? Christ almighty, get some perspective. Benfica are a huge club. If you live in Portugal you would understand, they are an institution, a leviathan. However, the Portuguese league is s****, believe me I've been watching it all season. Apart from possibly Barca away Benfica have not been pulling up any trees this season in Europe, I've been to all their European home games. We have nothing to be afraid of, they have to come at us at their place, the fans demand it, and we can get a result. They are no great shakes, trust me. Very well, I'm no expert on Portugese football and interpreting their real strength. All the more exaggerated given how s*** our last game was. If we can maintain our recent European solidity and perhaps add a smidgeon of attacking invention (yes I'm aware Alan Pardew is our manager) we can get a result.

I guess it will depend on the policing arrangements. At Bordeaux, I think a lot of people went for a wander and there were bars etc close by. At Bruges, again I don't recall having to go straight into the stadium although I did but I don't think there was much else to do around the stadium. From my experience the policing is pretty relaxed and at all of their Euro games there was a mix of fans (Esp the Celtic game) in the home end. I'll be sat in the home end with some Benfica mates and a few neutrals and Toon fans I've managed to convert. Opposite the ground there is a huge fuck off shopping centre and in the food court upstairs you can get a few beers. Outside the shopping centre, just in front of the ground, are the 'bifana' stands where you can get beer in massive plastic glasses. I'll be hanging around there in the hour before the match. Once again there is a lot of mixing there and the home fans, in my experience, are a friendly bunch willing to swap scarves and have a beer etc, don't forget to buy your half Toon half Benfica scarf outside the ground, 5 Euros.

Gulf in class? Christ almighty, get some perspective. Benfica are a huge club. If you live in Portugal you would understand, they are an institution, a leviathan. However, the Portuguese league is shite, believe me I've been watching it all season. Apart from possibly Barca away Benfica have not been pulling up any trees this season in Europe, I've been to all their European home games. We have nothing to be afraid of, they have to come at us at their place, the fans demand it, and we can get a result. They are no great shakes, trust me.

Toon v Spurs 2-3 1985 Sure Beardsley scored 2 pens.

Yep, think it is an 8.30pm kick off UK time - are we on the same time zone? I will be watching that game on a stream. I see you are 1/3 to win - basically if you put £3 on you would get £1 back plus your £3 stake, Guimaraes are 9/1 at home Portugal/UK is same time zone. I'll be watching the game on SPORT TV. Must admit I'm a bit p*ssed off with Benfica TV getting the rights to PL games, means I'll need another f***ing TV contract Cancel Sporttv and sign with Benfica TV. Price of sporttv = 26 Euros Price of Benfica = between 7-10 Euros Yeah but how many matches can Benfica TV show? Sometimes SPORT TV has 3 PL games on at the same time. In fact I heard that the PL are going to stop overseas broadcasters from showing the 1500 Saturday games (traditional UK kick off). Which is a shame as it's a canny bonus if you follow PL and live abroad.

Yep, think it is an 8.30pm kick off UK time - are we on the same time zone? I will be watching that game on a stream. I see you are 1/3 to win - basically if you put £3 on you would get £1 back plus your £3 stake, Guimaraes are 9/1 at home Portugal/UK is same time zone. I'll be watching the game on SPORT TV. Must admit I'm a bit pissed off with Benfica TV getting the rights to PL games, means I'll need another fucking TV contract

We play Wigan away at 1600 tomorrow, Wigan away is one of our bogey fixtures so I think most Toon fans would accept a point.

Shame to have to retire at 23 but at least he'll not starve!

João Cancelo, Fábio Cardoso, Ivan Cavaleiro, Miguel Rosa, Nélson Oliveira... The problem is that Maxi Pereira, Garay, Salvio, Gaitan, John, Cardozo or Lima are better They are better in fact, but the Portuguese kids need a chance. When we sell those guys, we'll buy other foreign players, without giving a try with ours... What did you think of Fábio Faria? I sat next to him at the Gil Vicente game. Did he have heart condition or something?

Someone wrote 6,000 earlier. There was a few Celtic fans for their game maybe around 6,000. I'm normally in the home section at the bottom of the Coca Cola stand and you can't actually see the away fans from there. My Benfica supporting mate is getting the tickets next week so I'll probably be in with them unless I can get an NUFC ticket.

Not sure how many tickets NUFC are going to ask for. Would be fantastic to take 10,000.

For those making the trip, the netted area in the top right of this phot is the away section: :indi: :indi: :indi: :indi: :indi: :indi: :indi: :indi: :indi: http://imageshack.us/a/img43/5583/img0137mf.jpg

Ok, for those interested here's a few phots from my tour of the Estádio da Luz last month. We were hosted by one of the Vice Presidents and taken everywhere apart from the home dressing room which was off limits. http://imageshack.us/a/img43/5583/img0137mf.jpg The media centre: http://imageshack.us/a/img202/2306/img0125mh.jpg One of the dug outs: http://imageshack.us/a/img543/1963/img0134qo.jpg One of the eagles which flies around the stadium prior to every game, one of them likes to fly off and hang around the shopping centre next door: http://imageshack.us/a/img843/7940/img0152ny.jpg View from pitchside: http://imageshack.us/a/img202/9256/img0145ar.jpg For those of you who have been to the Emirates you will notice a resemblance: http://imageshack.us/a/img21/2290/img0146zq.jpg "Mr Benfica", the one and only: http://imageshack.us/a/img266/7382/img0154ev.jpg This one is in the corridor outside the home and away dressing rooms: http://imageshack.us/a/img819/5940/img0127dq.jpg

Ok I've changed my forum pic from a Sporting CP badge in respect of our new visitors. I actually watched both games with a bunch of Benfica mates in Cascais last night. I can't wait for this, booked a day off work so I can go on an all day sesh on the day of the game.

We are away in both legs, it's Platini's new system for Englsh teams that reach the QF of UEFA competitions.

Reminded me of a Shakin Stevens move when he played for Fulchester FC.

Giroud is hopeless.

They huffed and puffed against Bordeaux last week winning 1-0. Believe me, they are not some super-team, they play in a very poor domestic league and they wouldn't be able to handle our Frenchies.

No chance, I've seen all their European games this season and been twice in the last 5 days. They bullied an awful Gil Vicente 5-0 last night. We would beat them easily over two legs in my opinion. Says the guy with a Sporting Lisbon badge as his avatar I've got no bias, I live in Lisbon but watch both teams. I just prefer Sporting as they need the support and Benfica are pretty much the Man Utd of Portugal.

No chance, I've seen all their European games this season and been twice in the last 5 days. They bullied an awful Gil Vicente 5-0 last night. We would beat them easily over two legs in my opinion.

Cisse has been pretty much a 1 in 2 man throughout his career. He'll start scoring soon enough.

Can't fault any of the players, apart from Shola. They worked their socks off and showed a lot of quality to go alongside the workrate and determination. Often lacking the final ball though and Cisse should have buried at least a couple of the chances he had. First 'goal' definately onside but shit happens, second was, arguably, marginally off and they often go either way. Some of the hysterics about match fixing are pathetic and we are easily capable of going out there and getting at least a draw.

The antithesis of Pardew; at half time you knew the players would walk out an extra foot tall and take the game to the opposition.

Celtic fans were also pretty sound (and pissed) in Lisbon at the Benfica game a couple of months ago.

Don't disagree, but from the Sporting fan this is Yep, that type of shit is widespread in much of Southern Europe unfortunately. In Italy it is endemic.