Labbadia's side are languishing in the relegation zone in the domestic Bundesliga, ahead of only Borussia Monchengladbach and four points adrift of safety. Europe provides a welcome respite from those struggles, but the coach was quick to play down his side's chances against the team currently second in Portugal's Liga. "We're facing a top team, which is peppered with top stars and internationals, such as Luisao and Pablo Aimar, who are currently in very good form," Labbadia told his club's website. "They have several strong, dynamic players within their ranks and they are clear favourites in my opinion. "We are the underdogs. We will need to be compact and patiently wait for our chance. "Benfica will look to put the pressure on right from the start, but it's nice for us to be playing in Europe. The team have worked long and hard to achieve that." They will make the journey to Lisbon without Russia striker Pavel Pogrebnyak, who suffered a broken rib in training this morning and will also miss Sunday's Bundesliga trip to Bayer Leverkusen. They hope to have new signing Shinji Okazaki available, with sporting director Fredi Bobic saying: "We hope to have him cleared to play by Thursday. It's up to FIFA now and we are trying to force a quick decision. "We did everything correctly and above board but, for some unknown reason, his former club Shimizu S-Pulse have denied his clearance." Benfica are without Javier Saviola, who is serving a suspension, while Ruben Amorim has a knee injury and both Cesar Peixoto and Ruben Amorim are sidelined by thigh problems. One positive for Labbadia is Benfica coach Jorge Jesus' career record against German teams, which includes just one win and five defeats from seven games. Kick-off is at 6pm.
