Club Brugge vs. Benfica Prediction, Pick, Odds: Can We Bank on Benfica in Champions League Knockout Stage?
Club Brugge vs. Benfica Prediction, Pick, Odds: Can We Bank on Benfica in Champions League Knockout Stage?
Club Brugge plays Benfica on Wednesday for the UEFA Champions League slate.
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Club Brugge vs. Benfica Start Time, Where to Watch, and Odds
- Date: Wednesday, February 15, 2023
- Time: 3:00 pm ET
- Where to Watch: CBS, Paramount+
Click here for Clubb Brugge vs. Benfica odds
Club Brugge vs. Benfica Prediction
Club Brugge: Poor run of form
Club Brugge made history by reaching this stage of the competition after claiming the second spot in Group B behind Porto, notably finishing above both Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid in the process. They sacked manager Carl Hoefkens back in December due to disappointing domestic results, despite him guiding the outsiders to the knockout stages of the Champions League, with Scott Parker taking the reins.
They are sitting fourth in their domestic league but they are 20 points behind leaders Genk and we don’t expect them to overcome that deficit. They’ve struggled to come to life under the former Bournemouth and Fulham boss and they enter this clash as underdogs.
Brugge has played against Portuguese opponents on 15 occasions across all competitions, winning five and losing seven in the process. Their trio of Tajon Buchanan, Andreas Skov Olsen, and Ferran Jutgla has been rated as doubtful ahead of this clash. Parker turned his new side into the ‘draw-kings’ with the Belgian Pro League reigning champs drawing five of their seven games.
Club Brugge is without any doubt one of the biggest surprises of the season in the Champions League but their European campaign should come to an end because they are playing against one of the most entertaining teams in the knockout stages, Benfica.
Club Brugge has been in dreadful form since the World Cup, winning one of their last 13 matches across all competitions and despite being at home they enter this clash as huge underdogs being priced at +370 with Unibet. Brugge had the joint-second-best defensive record in the Champions League group stage, conceding just four goals in six games and you can imagine they will have a defensive approach and try not to lose.
Benfica: Dominant season
Benfica remained unbeaten throughout the group stage, even with them battling twice against the French giants Paris Saint-Germain, and former Italian champions Juventus. The Eagles lost their winning streak in the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup losing to Braga on penalties but it’s better for them because they can now focus on their domestic league and Champions League action.
They are leading the Liga Portugal standings with 17 wins in 20 games and 51 goals scored in the process. Only Napoli and Bayern Munich scored more goals than Benfica during the group stages and we expect them to continue their brilliant run of form with another convincing win. They netted in all six of their group-stage games, delivering multiple goals in four of those fixtures.
They have amazing attacking firepower. Goncalo Ramos, Goncalo Guedes, Rafa Silva, and David Neres should all be in the starting lineup and offer us a high-scoring affair. The away goals rule has been one of the big talking points in recent years for coaches and it has been dropped from use by UEFA in its flagship club competitions so Benfica will definitely try to solve the qualification issue from the first leg.
Club Brugge vs. Benfica Picks
Wednesday’s game looks set to be an entertaining affair given Benfica’s scoring form and tendency to play each game on the front foot. Their high press should be the key to this clash. We expect them to take an early lead and score at least two goals in the first leg.
Pick 1: Benfica Team Total Over 1.5 Goals at (-110) Bet $100 to collect $190 Unibet has the best odds, click here
Pick 2: 1st Half Goals Over 1 at (-110) Bet $100 to collect $190 Bet365 has the best odds, click here
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Article Author
Alex Campean has been a soccer fan since 1990 when he watched the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. He knows everything about the top 5 European leagues, Champions League and Europa League and he is well known for his “trade-mark” “Alex Classic” bet (both teams to score and over 2.5 goals in the match). He’s very disciplined, follows a strict set of rules, and has great bankroll management. He’s our European soccer specialist and he's having an average of 55 units of profit in the last 7 years with his soccer picks. He’s all about positive energy, respect, and long-term profit and if you ever hear “Alex’s last-minute goal” that means he did it again winning a bet in the last minute of the game, so never lose hope.