Kick-off: 2000, 29/08/2021
Stadium: Estadio da Luz
TV: BT Sport
Barcelona received a timely boost by beating Levante in La Liga on Sunday and can build on that when visiting Benfica in the Champions League.
The Portuguese outfit are unbeaten this term, with 10 wins and two draws, but it is easy to pick holes in their European efforts.
Let’s go with 7/5 for an away victory as our opening Benfica vs Barcelona prediction.
A Look At Benfica’s Betting Odds
Benfica are four points clear in Liga Portugal Bwin after rattling off seven straight wins in that competition, but have had a kind fixture list.
We’d rather examine their exploits in this tournament to judge the quality of Jorge Jesus’ squad and feel there are a few question marks.
The Eagles made smooth progress past Spartak Moscow in qualifying but then only scraped past PSV Eindhoven 2-1 on aggregate.
On Matchday 1 in Group E, Benfica were regarded as very fortunate to return from facing Dynamo Kiev with a goalless stalemate.
Their hosts hit the woodwork, had a last-gasp goal ruled out for offside by VAR and were denied on several occasions by excellent saves from Eagles keeper Odisseas Vlachodimos.
Barca are far stronger up front than Dynamo, so we like 5/2 for an away win and over 2.5 goals in the game from the Benfica vs Barcelona odds.
A Look At Barcelona’s Betting Odds
Of course, it is hard to gloss over some of Barcelona’s early issues this term as they struggled to adjust to life after Lionel Messi.
Bayern Munich ruthlessly exposed some mental frailties and defensive fragility when powering to a 3-0 Camp Nou triumph in this pool.
Barca could then only draw with Granada and Cadiz in La Liga, prompting strong calls for Ronald Koeman to be sent packing.
However, there was a lot to like about a 3-0 triumph over Levante, when Memphis Depay (penalty) and Luuk de Jong struck inside the first quarter of an hour.
Substitute Ansu Fati, handed the number 10 shirt following Messi’s move to PSG, capped a fine afternoon by marking his return from a long-term knee injury with a third in the 90th minute.
With De Jong ending a lengthy goal drought and Philippe Coutinho working his way back to full match sharpness, the vibes are suddenly much improved.
This won’t be an easy test by any means, but 17/2 for a 2-1 away win is added to our Benfica vs Barcelona betting tips.
Additional stats
Last result:
Guimaraes 1-3 BENFICA – Roman Yaremchuk (2), Joao Mario
BARCELONA 3-0 Levante – Memphis Depay (pen), Luuk de Jong, Anssumane Fati
Head-to-head: Barcelona 0-0 Benfica, Benfica 0-2 Barcelona, Barcelona 2-0 Benfica, Benfica 0-0 Barcelona
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