When I think of Benfica, I think of Eusebio.
The 'Black Panther' is one of the greatest soccer players the world has ever seen, and in the 1960s and 70s, Benfica supporters scored more goals than he played for the Eagles. I had the privilege of seeing it.
The crowning jewel of his Benfica career was the European Cup winners medal he won at the end of his first season at Benfica, scoring twice in the final victory against Real Madrid in Amsterdam.
He played in three more finals of the same tournament, but was never successful again, but his incredible record of 473 goals in 440 appearances will never be broken.
As legend has it, Eusebio fell in love with Rangers after meeting and becoming firm friends with Ibrox legend Willie Henderson.
The pair met in 1964 as part of the Rest of the World selection for a friendly in Denmark and remained close until Eusebio's death about 10 years ago.
Just as Eusebio scored a hat-trick in the final, Henderson also suffered heartache in Europe. He lost to Bayern Munich in the 1967 Cup Winners' Cup final and left the club just before lifting the trophy in 1972.
Now in 2024, the two teams will face each other for a place in the quarter-finals of the Europa League. This is the most high-profile matchup to date.
In the group stages of the 2020-21 season, which were played behind closed doors, there were two draws, with Rangers taking a two-goal lead in both games.
But the stakes are even higher this time around, with Dublin's marquee match just three rounds away.
The reigning 38-time Portuguese champions head into the match against Thailand with back-to-back losses for the first time this season. They were eliminated from the Taca de Portugal competition, a domestic cup competition, by rival city Sporting, but suffered humiliation when Porto defeated them 5-0 in the Oclasico.
It was the latter's second defeat of the season in the Primeira Liga, and the first since the opening game against Boavista.
Head coach Roger Schmidt has since come under heavy criticism for not only surrendering his team, but also refusing to apologize to supporters.
Nevertheless, there is no doubt that this is a big challenge for Philippe Clement's side as they look to bounce back from their first defeat of the year.
First, the draw wasn't very favorable to Clement considering he was seeded. The likes of Azerbaijan's Qarabag and Freiburg, who sit mid-table in the German Bundesliga with one win from eight games, would probably have been preferred opponents.
And despite his recent poor health, the Lisbon side still have two World Cup winners and some of the most promising talent in European football in their squad.
Veterans Nicolas Otamendi and Angel Di Maria contributed to Argentina's glory in Qatar 2022, and although they have been overshadowed by the Lionel Messi story, they were both key to that success .
Benfica captain Otamendi won his 100th cap in the final against France, while Di Maria, who joined last summer from Juventus, scored Argentina's second goal on the day and continues to find the back of the net regularly.
His 14 goals this season (including the two that gave Benfica a play-off round win against Toulouse), along with Otamendi, are the only players left at Benfica from their last clash with Rangers, Rafa.・Second place behind Silva.
At the other end of the career spectrum, there are a number of players who could make big waves in the coming years.
Otamendi's centre-back partner Antonio Silva is only 20 years old but has already won seven caps for Portugal, with big-money Chelsea and Manchester United reportedly among his suitors. Fellow academy graduate João Neves is also only 19 years old and has also broken into the senior national team.
Turkish midfielder Olkun Kokku joined from Feyenoord in pre-season for around £25 million, a record transfer fee paid by Benfica.
There are other young players knocking on the door of the first team, but Rafa Silva remains potentially the biggest threat to Rangers' progress. He scored against Steven Gerrard's side in Lisbon and now has 17 goals this season, including two in the Champions League group.
Always overshadowed by the great Eusebio, whose statue stands outside their magnificent stadium, Benfica have big ambitions on the continent this season, ending a 62-year wait for a European trophy. The Reds will be aiming to hit , and will start against Rangers in this mouth-watering final match. 16 tie.
