The Champions League play-offs are treating us to a thrilling match between Benfica, now a regular fixture in Europe’s top competition, and Fenerbahçe, who are eager to get back there after a sixteen-year absence. The Turks are investing heavily to return to the big stage. José Mourinho has been in charge since last year, and the latest transfer window has seen the arrival of players of the caliber of Skriniar, Amrabat, Semedo, En-Nesyri, Brown, and Duran.
Fenerbahçe has already overcome a significant hurdle in these qualifiers: Feyenoord, which they overturned in the return leg in Istanbul after losing 2-1 in the Netherlands.
Benfica’s four clean sheets
It was a magical night for the yellow-and-blue fans, with Mourinho’s team scoring five goals (the final score was 5-2) against an opponent that had knocked Milan out of the knockout stages of this competition just a few months ago. However, the energy expended in the cup match left them a little drained: Fenerbahçe had to settle for a goalless draw with Goztepe in their league opener on Saturday, a match that ended with two red cards. For Benfica, on the other hand, it was plain sailing in the third qualifying round against Nice, who they comfortably beat 2-0 in the first leg and 2-0 in the second. At home, the red and whites have not put a foot wrong so far. They won the Super Cup, lifting the trophy in front of their cousins Sporting, and in their first league game they narrowly beat Estrela Amadora thanks to a penalty from Pavlidis. Bruno Lage’s men are shining mainly in their own half: they have not conceded a single goal in four official games.
Mourinho will have to do without Tosun and Becao, who are injured, but he will field heavy artillery in attack: Duran and En-Nesyri will start up front. On the other side, Lage will rely on his usual 4-4-2 formation with Pavlidis and Ivanovic leading the attack. In midfield is Rios, who has long been pursued by Roma in the current transfer market.h2>
Odds comparison
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The “1X” sign is quoted at 1.50 on Lottomatica and Snai. The “Goal” sign is quoted at 1.58 on Lottomatica and 1.57 on Snai.
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Prediction
The two teams faced each other last July in a friendly match: on that occasion, the Portuguese side came out on top at the end of a spectacular game that ended 3-2. There should be no shortage of goals this time around either: Fenerbahçe’s counterattacks, which have an extra gear in front of their home crowd, as demonstrated in last week’s match against Feyenoord, will cause plenty of problems for the Portuguese defense. At least one goal per side is likely in a match in which Mourinho’s team will probably manage to avoid defeat: it is crucial for Fenerbahçe to keep their qualification hopes alive ahead of the return leg in Lisbon in a week’s time.
Probable line-ups for Fenerbahçe-Benfica
FENERBAHCE (3-4-1-2): Egribayat; Muldur, Skirniar, Oosterwolde; Semedo, Amrabat, Fred, Brown; Szymanski; Duran, En-Nesyri.
BENFICA (4-4-2): Trubin; Bah, Antonio Silva, Otamendi, Dedic; Schjelderup, Barrenechea, Rios, Aursnes; Pavlidis, Ivanovic.