Henry Roldán
Next Wednesday we will have two unprecedented clashes in the return of the Champions League and one of them will be Brugge vs Benfica. The two teams will clash for the first time in this match scheduled for the round of 16 of the European competition.
The Belgian club had a great performance in the group stage and finished second in Group B with 12 points and eliminating a big club like Atlético Madrid. For their part, the Portuguese team surprised the world of soccer, finishing as leaders of Group H over PSG and eliminating Juventus.
Without further ado, JefeBet brings you the best preview of the clash between Brugge vs Benfica.
Predictions, Odds, and Betting Preview for the Brugge vs Benfica Champions League Round of 16 First Leg Game on February 15, 2023.
- Where: Jan Breydel Stadion – Bruges, Belgium.
- When: Wednesday, February 15, 2023, 3:00 PM E.T.
- Moneyline: Brugge (+350) / Tie (+270) / Benfica (-114).
- Asian Handicap: Brugge (+0.5, +100) / Benfica (-0.5, -120).
- Over/Under (2.5): Over (-122) / Under (-103).
- Both teams score: Yes (-134) / No (+106).
All odds shown are courtesy of Unibet.
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Brugge Preview
The Belgian runners-up were one of the pleasant surprises of the Champions League group stage after knocking Bayern Leverkusen and Atlético de Madrid out of the round of 16. In addition to their home wins over these rivals, Brugge split honors with group leaders Porto to seal their qualification for this important stage.
However, results have not been good lately for Scott Parker’s team, and this certainly does not play in their favor before facing a very difficult opponent. While Brugge have lost only one of their last nine games, in that span the team has just one win and has drawn on seven occasions. This performance has them fourth in the Jupiler league with 42 points, 20 points behind the league leaders.
But as mentioned above, the Belgians are strong at home. Although they have drawn in their last five home games, they have only lost once in 13 matches played and their 27 goals scored are the third-best record in the circuit in this condition.
In terms of absentees for the match, Brugge will be without Spanish striker Ferran Jutgla and midfielder Andreas Skov Olsen.
Possible lineup (4-3-3): Simon Mignolet; Clinton Mata, Jack Hendry, Brandon Mechele, Bjorn Meijer; Mats Rits, Raphael Onyedika, Hans Vanaken; Tajon Buchanan, Noa Lang, Roman Yaremchuk.
Benfica Preview
Benfica face this round of 16 tie as favorites to advance to the next round after a very successful run throughout the season.
Not only are they leaders of the Portuguese league with just one defeat in 20 matches, but they also surprised European soccer by finishing first in a group they shared with two powerhouses such as PSG and Juventus.
Roger Schmidt’s men finished the group stage undefeated after beating Juve and Maccabi Haifa in their two matches, while drawing 1-1 with PSG on two occasions.
Benfica’s attacking power is their main weapon to achieve victories, as they scored 16 times in the qualifying round and lead the league in Portugal with 51 goals.
Playing as visitors, the 37-time Portuguese league champions have conceded only four goals in 10 matches playedThree of them in their only defeat on the road when they lost 3-0 to Braga, while in the group stage they closed with a 6-1 thrashing of Haifa in Israel.
Possible lineup (4-2-3-1): Odysseas Vlachodimos; Alexander Bah, Antonio Silva, Nicolás Otamendi, Alejandro Grimaldo; Florentino Luis, Chiquinho; Joao Mario, David Neres, Fredrik Aursnes; Gonçalo Guedes.
JefeBet Prediction
Brugge have proven to be a difficult team to beat at home, but Benfica has a very important offensive potential that will make them win the match.
While the Belgians have drawn many games in recent times, the Portuguese have just five draws in 37 matches played.
This is because not only are they an offensive juggernaut, but they have shown that they can defend their goal very efficiently, something dangerous for a Brugge team that has gone 10 games without scoring more than two goals.
Prediction: Over (BRU 1 – BEN 3).
