Preview: Benfica vs Hearts - prediction, team news, lineups

Still recovering from a heartbreaking end to the 2025-26 season, Hearts travel to the Portuguese capital of Lisbon for a third-round Europa League qualifier against Benfica, with the winner of the tie securing a place in the league phase.

The Eagles secured a 6-2 aggregate victory over St Gallen in the previous qualifying round, while the Jambos are still searching for their first win under their new manager after dropping into the Europa League following a disappointing Champions League exit against Austrian side Sturm.

Match preview

Despite failing to reclaim the Primeira Liga title last season, Benfica finished the campaign unbeaten after recording 23 victories and 11 draws from their 34 league matches, although Jose Mourinho's side ultimately finished eight points behind champions Porto.

After managing four different clubs in England, Marco Silva returned to his homeland to replace the now Real Madrid manager, but was unable to get off to an impressive start.

Silva's tenure began in disappointing fashion during the second round of Europa League qualifying, as the Eagles suffered a 2-1 defeat away to Swiss side St Gallen, ending an 11-match unbeaten run that had only previously been halted by Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Although that result ended their unbeaten streak, the 38-time Primeira Liga champions responded in emphatic fashion by thrashing St Gallen 5-0 in the return leg, with Vangelis Pavlidis scoring four goals before Clement Lenglet completed the rout on his home debut.

The result saw Benfica progress to the final qualifying round, where they now face Hearts before returning to domestic action against Academico Viseu shortly after the first leg.

As for Hearts, they head into this tie still dealing with the disappointment of missing out on the Scottish Premiership title on the final day of last season.

A 3-1 defeat to the Bhoys allowed Martin O'Neill's side to snatch the title by the narrowest of margins, ending Hearts' hopes of becoming the first club outside Celtic or Rangers to win the league since 1985.

The setback was followed by a difficult summer, with manager Derek McInnes, captain Lawrence Shankland and key midfielder Cammy Devlin all departing for Rangers, leaving Hearts with a serious rebuilding job ahead.

To fill the void left at Tynecastle Park, Hearts turned to Wouter Vrancken, who arrived after most recently managing Belgian side Sint-Truidense VV.

Like Silva, Vrancken endured a difficult start to his reign as Hearts were knocked out of Champions League qualifying by Sturm, suffering a 4-0 defeat in Austria before falling to a 2-0 loss in the return leg at Tynecastle, ending their first campaign in Europe's premier club competition for 20 years after just 180 minutes of football.

The Jambos also struggled on their return to league action, surrendering a 1-0 lead against Aberdeen as Kevin Nisbet's 95th-minute winner condemned them to a 2-1 defeat, leaving the fourth game of Vrancken's Hearts tenure already carrying significant pressure.

Benfica Europa League form:

L W

Hearts Champions League form:

L L

Hearts form (all competitions):

L L L

Team News

Entering this tie after a dominant 5-0 victory, Silva has no fresh injury concerns and could be tempted to name an unchanged side for the visit of Hearts.

Vangelis Pavlidis scored four goals in 77 minutes during his second appearance of the season and is expected to lead the line again, while Jhon Duran will continue his wait for a first start.

New arrivals Georgiy Sudakov and Jakub Kaminski are also expected to retain their places in midfield and attack.

Hearts will be without Christian Borchgrevink, Stephen Kingsley, Craig Halkett and Ageu, who all remain sidelined through injury.

Stuart Findlay was sent off late in the league opener, but his suspension applies to the next Scottish Premiership fixture rather than this European tie, meaning he is expected to remain at the back.

Claudio Braga was one of Hearts' standout performers last season and will be hoping to provide a spark as Vrancken's side look to cause an upset in Lisbon.

Benfica possible starting lineup:

Trubin; Bah, Silva. Lenglet, Dahl; Barreiro, Barrenechea; Silva, Sudakov, Kaminski; Pavlidis

Hearts possible starting lineup:

Reus; Altena, McEntee, Findlay, Milne; Kerjota, Mendy, Spittal, Miller; Braga, Ba-Sy

We say: Benfica 3-0 Hearts

Benfica enter this contest as heavy favourites and have not lost at home since February, while Hearts arrive in Portugal still searching for a first win under their new manager.

We expect Silva's side to dominate proceedings and take a commanding advantage into the second leg in Edinburgh.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.