Hiram Moreno
Matchday 18 of the Primeira Liga has been going on forever, and it continues on this last day of January with a clash between Arouca vs Benfica in which two clubs that are in the top half of the table but are separated by many points and have very different objectives will face each other.
As JefeBet is your reliable source of information for Portuguese soccer, on this occasion we bring you everything you need to know for your bets on this Arouca vs Benfica, including the best odds, team analysis, and our prediction. Keep reading to find out more.
Predictions, Picks, and Betting Odds for Arouca vs Benfica Primeira Liga Matchday 18 Game on January 31, 2023
- Where: Estadio Municipal de Arouca, Arouca, Portugal.
- When: Tuesday, January 31, 2023, 4:15 PM ET
- Moneyline: Arouca (+750) / Tie (+420) / Benfica (-335)
- Asian Handicap: Arouca (AH +1.5 -113) / Benfica (AH -1.5, -108)
- Over/Under (2.5): Over (-165) / Under (+123)
- Both teams score: Yes (+100) / No (-130)
Odds provided by Unibet.
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Arouca Preview
The Arouca campaign has been a real success story, they’ve been on fire with seven wins, five draws, and five losses which has landed them in seventh place on the table with a real shot at making it to the Conference League, but the idea of them winning the title is just a fantasy considering they’re 21 points behind the leaders.
The Arouca crew is heading into this game with some serious momentum, they’re riding a three-game league unbeaten streak and have won two of them, the last one being a crushing 4-0 victory over Portimonense.
However, they’re not exactly feeling their best after their latest performance resulted in a tough 1-2 loss to Sporting Lisbon in the cup semi-final, butthey’re not going to let this get them down because they know there’s a lot on the line in this game and an unlikely win would put them just one step away from fifth place in the standings.
Possible lineup (4-3-3): Ignacio de Arruabarrena; Tiago Esgalo, Joao Basso, Nino Galovic, Mateus Quaresma; Alan Ruiz; Ismaila Soro, Pedro Moreira; Morlaye Sylla; Oday Dabbagh, Antony.
Benfica Preview
Benfica is the high-flying leader of the Primeira Liga and it looks like they’re going to be crowned champions at the end of the season since they currently have 15 wins, 2 draws, and only 1 loss, giving them a total of 47 points and a 7-point lead over the second place team in the standings.
That loss happened to be in their last match of 2022, losing 3-0 to Braga, but they’ve been unbeatable this year with four wins in five games,including their last two against Santa Clara (3-0) and bottom-of-the-table Pacos de Ferreira (2-0), and the fact that they didn’t allow any goals in those two matches just shows how tough they are to beat.
Possible Lineup (4-2-3-1): Odysseas Vlachodimos; Alexander Bah, Nicolas Otamendi; Antonio Silva, Alejandro Grimaldo; Enzo Fernandez, Florentino; Fredrik Aursnes, Goncalo Guedes, Joao Mario; Petar Musa.
JefeBet Prediction
This will be the second meeting between the two clubs this season: in the first one, Benfica won by a score of 4-0. That result was not surprising, considering that the visitors have beaten Arouca in the last seven matchups between them. Plus, due to their current performance, they are on course for an eighth win in a row.
This will be the second time that Arouca will receive the visit of an opponent that currently is on the podium, and the last time they were thrashed by a score of 6-0 (Braga). So, we do not believe that Benfica can win by the same margin, but by a comfortable one indeed.
Prediction: Benfica Asian Handicap (ARO 0 – SLB 3).
