AC Milan vs Benfica Lineups September 2026 – Two former European champions will face each other in UEFA’s second-tier competition when AC Milan begin their 2026/2027 Europa League campaign against Benfica.

The match is scheduled to take place at San Siro on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at 21:00 local time.

The two fallen giants both failed to qualify for the Champions League last season, but both are among the favorites to lift the trophy in Frankfurt next spring.

Now, before the match begins, let’s take a look at Mansion Sports’ prediction for the AC Milan vs Benfica lineups September 2026 below!

Both Teams’ Conditions Ahead of the Match

AC Milan

Six defeats in their last 10 league matches saw Milan lose their grip on Champions League football last season, which subsequently triggered a swift overhaul within the club’s management structure.

After Max Allegri’s second spell came to an abrupt end after just one year, Ruben Amorim was appointed to turn things around, and his new team remain unbeaten so far.

After securing victories over Torino and Venezia, the Rossoneri then drew two consecutive Serie A matches against Juventus and Lazio, although both games unfolded in very different circumstances.

First, Juventus scored a late equalizer to deny Milan maximum points in Turin, before Amorim’s side fought back from a two-goal deficit to secure a hard-earned draw in Rome.

Having been completely absent from European competition last season, the Italian giants can now return to continental action for the first time since being eliminated from the 2024-25 Champions League in the knockout playoff round.

Meanwhile, Amorim’s most recent Europa League experience came when he lost the 2025 final as Manchester United manager, having previously made an impact at the elite level with Sporting Lisbon.

In a rather romantic twist, Milan’s league-phase journey will begin against his former club, where Amorim spent nine years as a player.

As a coach, he also generally enjoyed more positive results when facing Benfica during his time in charge of Sporting.

Benfica

History also suggests that Benfica could struggle to take points home, as they have never beaten Milan in six competitive meetings, including two European Cup finals in 1963 and 1990.

Like the Rossoneri, Portugal’s most successful club also failed to meet expectations last season, finishing third in the Primeira Liga under Jose Mourinho.

That result forced them to go through the Europa League qualifying rounds under new coach Marco Silva, whose tenure began with a shock defeat to St. Gallen.

Benfica then bounced back and eliminated the Swiss club with a commanding 5-0 second-leg victory, before crushing Hearts 7-2 on aggregate and AGF 6-2 on aggregate to secure their place in the league phase.

Since then, the Eagles have been unstoppable in domestic competition, taking maximum points from their next four matches while scoring 12 goals.

In their most recent match, a late comeback turned a potential home draw against Gil Vicente into a 3-1 victory, making it their seventh consecutive win in all competitions.

With confidence currently very high, Silva’s side must now face two difficult away matches, as a trip to Porto will follow their challenging journey to Milan on Wednesday.

AC Milan vs Benfica Lineups September 2026

AC Milan (3-4-2-1)

Regarding AC Milan’s squad condition, Amorim may decide to rotate his players for this midweek fixture, but Milan are expected to retain their familiar 3-4-2-1 formation.

The home side could be without any injury concerns, as defensive duo Mattia Gabbia and Mario Gila have both overcome their respective minor issues and were able to return to the squad against Lazio.

It remains to be seen whether 41-year-old Luka Modric will once again be asked to start.

The Croatian midfielder has made 156 appearances in European competitions, but his last appearance outside the Champions League came in November 2011.

Assuming Goncalo Ramos is not rested, several candidates are competing to support the former Benfica striker. Alphadjo Cisse, Alexis Saelemaekers, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Omari Hutchinson, and Christian Pulisic will all be hoping for an opportunity to play.

Benfica (4-2-3-1)

Meanwhile, Ramos will look to score against his former club, but Benfica’s attack is now led by Vangelis Pavlidis, who scored six goals throughout the qualifying rounds.

In addition, the prolific striker has already scored eight goals in the Primeira Liga and has a record of one goal every two matches in UEFA competitions.

The visitors will have to travel without Alexander Bah, who remains sidelined with a shoulder injury.

As a result, Daniel Banjaqui or versatile captain Fredrik Aursnes is likely to start at right-back.

The meeting between AC Milan and Benfica brings together two major European names who both want to begin their Europa League journey with a positive result.

With the two teams arriving in different conditions, the clash at San Siro will provide an interesting early test for both Milan and Benfica.