After two 3-2 losses in their openers, Spartak Moscow now finds themselves pointless and at the bottom of the Group G standings. The club was upset by Celtic, who obtained their first road victory in Champions League play courtesy of a 90th-minute goal by Giorgos Samaras.

As a result of their underperformance, Spartak will look to rebound effectively against Benfica on Tuesday at Luzhniki Stadium. On loan to Spartak Moscow from the German team Schalke, midfielder Jose Jurado acknowledged the importance of prevailing against Benfica, according to Team Talk.

"We have to give everything 100 per cent, try to beat the Portuguese, and then Celtic at their place in order to get through to the next round of the Champions League."

Unai Emery, the coach of Spartak, agreed with Jurado's comments saying "We failed at home to Celtic and we can not fail again. We must show that we have improved. It's a team accustomed to winning. But the Champions League is an important test and all have to be committed. We have great respect for Benfica."

On the opposing side of the football, Benfica midfielder Andre Gomes has been making the transition from the B team and there's a good possibility he may be put into the lineup in Tuesday's matchup. The club currently sits in second place behind Porto in the Portuguese Liga. However, they must overcome Spartak in order to remain competitive in the standings. In their last match, they were defeated by Barcelona 2-0 and Gomes is well aware of that the club must come out victorious.

"We are facing a great team, but we want to get the win," he said.

CLICK HERE to watch Spartak Moscow vs Benfica via live stream. Coverage will begin at 8 PM MSK on Tuesday, Oct. 23.

View the possible starting lineups below.

Spartak Moscow:

Dikan; Makeev, Bryzgalov, Suchy, Kombarov; Rafael, Kallstrom; Jurado, Ari, Bilyaletdinov; Welliton

Benfica:

Moraes; Pereira, Jardel, Garay, Melgarejo; Salvio, Matic, Martins; Aimar, Gaitan; Cardozo

Tags
Internatonal soccer