The Ligue 1 giants have one foot in the quarter-finals after Hatem Ben Arfa's last-minute equaliser secured them a 1-1 draw in Portugal a fortnight ago. While Deschamps acknowledges it is a crucial advantage, he has urged his players to attack as well as defend. "We're starting the match as qualified," he told the club's official website. "If we don't concede a goal, we're through. "But I don't see us starting the match to get a 0-0, I don't have the team for that. "It will be essential to defend well, like we did there for an hour and succeed in getting ourselves some opportunities with the intention of scoring. "If we score, that would leave us with more room for manoeuvre. "It will be a difficult match because of the quality of the opposition. It will be important to control the ball because Benfica are a team who know how to use it well. "At home they are formidable because they have the support of their fans. It will be important for our fans to come in numbers and make some noise so that it is a real European night." The match kicks off a make-or-break period for Marseille as they then face Lyon in the league looking to maintain their title challenge, before taking on Bordeaux in the Coupe de la Ligue final. However, Benfica are far from down and out. They have a fantastic away record in Europe, having avoided defeat on their past three outings, and are the second highest scorers in this season's competition. Goalkeeper Julio Cesar is confident that they are more than capable of progressing. "We have all the conditions to make it past the round and continue with our aim which is the final," he told Benfica TV. "We know the difficulties that we're going to encounter. "But the team was very motivated by the win over Nacional in the league and will give their best to beat Marseille. "Benfica are a team known worldwide, who have fans wherever they play and we hope to count on their support in Marseille for a win and to continue in the competition."
