Munich: Bayern Munich host Benfica for the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday, aiming to leave the second leg a mere formality in reaching the club's fifth consecutive semifinal.
Confidence is high among Bayern's players and fans of getting past the Portuguese league leader and moving another step closer to repeating the 2013 feat of Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup victories.
Benfica are bidding to reach the final four for the first time since 1990.
"Benfica is a team that you simply have to beat," former Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said. "I can't imagine that Benfica can put Bayern in danger. Bayern will pass this test with flying colors."
The sides met three times before in European competition. Bayern prevailed on the three occasions. The German powerhouse has won all nine of its previous two-legged knockout ties against Portuguese opposition.
Some things to know ahead of Tuesday's game in Munich:
STEP UP NEEDED
Bayern survived a close shave against Juventus in the previous round on Thomas Mueller's injury-time equalizer and two more goals in extra time to progress in dramatic fashion.
The side will hope to avoid such excitement against Benfica by claiming another comprehensive quarter-final victory over a Portuguese side at home. At the same stage last season, Bayern defeated Porto 6-1 in Munich to recover from the 3-1 loss in the first leg.
Bayern seemed to be conserving energy in Saturday's 1-0 home win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga. Franck Ribery's acrobatic scissors kick was enough to maintain the side's five-point lead but the players will need to step up against the Portuguese league leader.
"The quality won't be enough for Tuesday," Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said. "We'll have to play much better. We'll need two concentrated outings to then hopefully reach the semifinals."
GUARDIOLA'S MILESTONE
Pep Guardiola will be in charge for his 150th competitive game at the helm of Bayern. The Spaniard so far has overseen 115 victories, 14 draws and 20 defeats since taking over from Jupp Heynckes in 2013.
Guardiola, who is leaving at the end of the season to join Manchester City, is bidding to repeat Heynckes' feat of winning the treble in his last season in charge.
Guardiola led Barcelona to 14 trophies in a hugely successful four-year spell but his tenure at Bayern will be judged on success in the Champions League, where semifinal defeats to Real Madrid and former club Barcelona represent his biggest disappointments at the club.
Despite claiming back-to-back Bundesliga titles and being on the verge of leading Bayern to an unprecedented fourth successive league title, Guardiola needs to match the mark set by his predecessor to leave on a high note.
BENFICA'S BOUNCE
After a rocky start to the season under new coach Rui Vitoria, Benfica have found their form in the final third of the season.
The players have finally clicked and the team has surged into lead of the Portuguese championship and its first Champions League quarterfinal in four years.
Benfica overwhelmed fourth-place Braga 5-1 last Friday to keep their two-point league lead with six rounds to play though they travels to Munich as the underdog in their biggest game of the season.
"We've got past a lot of obstacles this season. Some of them appeared impossible," said Vitoria, who is making his debut in Europe's top-tier tournament this season.
EYES ON JONAS
Benfica striker Jonas is top-scorer in the Portuguese league with 30 goals in 28 games, earning him a recall to the Brazil team though he hasn't been able to reproduce that form in the Champions League, where he has found the net just twice.
Jonas's partner in attack, Konstantinos Mitroglou, has 17 league goals but may be sacrificed in Munich if Benfica look to strengthen their defense.
Ljubomir Fejsa and Andreas Samaras could form a duo in front of the back four with Argentine playmaker Nicolas Gaitan just behind Jonas.
Lisandro Lopez could be back in central defense after a thigh injury but first-choice goalkeeper Julio Cesar is out with a groin injury.
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