Kick Off: 1945, 14/02/2017
Stadium: Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica
TV: BT Sport 3
Benfica’s clash with Borussia Dortmund is the only one of this week’s four Champions League ties which features two former European Cup winners, with the hosts lifting the trophy in 1961 and 1962 and the visitors prevailing in 1997.
Their only previous meeting came way back in 1963, when the Portuguese outfit claimed a 2-1 first-leg lead on home turf before being thrashed 5-0 in Germany.
A Look At Benfica’s Betting Odds
Benfica’s eight-point haul was the lowest of any team progressing from the group stage of this season’s Champions League, with Rui Vitoria’s side claiming their only two wins against Dynamo Kiev and losing twice to table toppers Napoli.
The hosts are usually hard to beat in Lisbon, though, drawing 2-2 here when edged out by Bayern Munich in last season’s quarter-finals after previously beating Zenit Saint Petersburg 1-0.
Benfica are unbeaten in 11 domestic league matches at this venue, winning nine of those games, and we reckon Borussia may be content to return to Dortmund on level terms, so snap up the draw at 23/10.
A Look At Borussia Dortmund’s Betting Odds
Borussia Dortmund were the leading scorers during the group stage, netting 21 times to help them pip Real Madrid to top spot, although 14 of those goals did come against lowly Legia Warsaw.
Thomas Tuchel’s team haven’t been as convincing in the Bundesliga this term, though, especially on the road, with a record of just three wins from 11 away fixtures contributing to them being down in fourth place, 15 points adrift of Bayern Munich.
Saturday’s 2-1 loss at basement dwellers SV Darmstadt emphasises that problem and they haven’t kept a clean sheet on their travels since September, so odds of 12/1 for an entertaining 2-2 here take the eye.
It is worth noting, however, that star forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has bagged 12 of his 21 goals this season in away matches, including strikes at Real Madrid and Sporting Lisbon in this competition, so 7/2 for the Gabon international to net first is a fair price.
Additional stats
Last result:
BENFICA 3-0 Arouca – Kostas Mitroglou (2), Andre Carrillo
SV Darmstadt 2-1 BORUSSIA DORTMUND – Raphael Guerreiro
Head-to-head: Borussia Dortmund 5-0 Benfica, Benfica 2-1 Borussia Dortmund
