FC St. Gallen faces Portuguese record champion Benfica in Europa League Qualification. The first leg takes place on July 23 at Sitterstadion. FC St. Gallen hopes for an upset against the favored opponent. Benfica is one of the largest football clubs in the world and had an average of 58,690 fans at home games last season. The market value of all Benfica players is about ten times higher than that of the St. Gallen squad, according to transfermarkt.de. And FC St. Gallen will have to do without its fans in Portugal, as UEFA banned St. Gallen fans from away games after pyro incidents in Bruges and Heidenheim. So the second leg on July 30 at Estádio da Luz will take place without St. Gallen fans. FC St. Gallen is preparing for a highlight, but the chance to advance is relatively low. Portuguese defender Tomás Araujo and Argentine player Nicolás Otamendi are among the well-known names in the Benfica squad. But FC St. Gallen will give everything to cause an upset. The draw for the third qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League takes place on July 20, and FC St. Gallen is likely to start in this round if they are eliminated by Benfica. The games will be played on August 6 and 13.