Benfica will be aiming to get their Champions League campaign off to a positive start as they host Maccabi Haifa in a Group H fixture on Tuesday. The Portuguese giants have been near perfect this season and should have too much quality for the visitors.
Benfica were one of the more impressive teams in last season’s Champions League as they progressed from a group that included Bayern Munich and Barcelona to reach the last eight. They appeared to have carried that form into this term’s competition, doing the double over Midtjylland and Dinamo Kiev to book their place in the group stage.
Having been placed in another difficult group that includes PSG and Juventus, it is imperative that Benfica claim all three points in their opening fixture. Beyond Tuesday’s clash, manager Roger Schmidt will be targeting six points against Maccabi Haifa to stand a good chance of qualifying to the knockout phase.
It has been an overall superb start to the season for Benfica, who are have a 100% record across all competitions. They warmed up for the visit of Maccabi Haifa with a 2-1 victory over Vizela in the Primeira Liga last Friday.
Maccabi Haifa have enjoyed a similar domestic campaign to Benfica and also have a 100% record in their domestic league. They travel to the Estadio da Luz off the back of a 2-1 victory over Hapoel Be’er Sheva in their previous fixture.
The Israeli giants are making only their third ever appearance in the Group Stage of the UEFA Champions League. They came through every stage of the qualifiers, seeing off Red Star Belgrade 5-4 on aggregate in the playoffs.
One problem for Maccabi Haifa is that they have not been convincing on their travels in the Champions League. Barak Bakhar’s men are winless in their last two away matches in the competition, conceding six goals that run.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have Benfica as overwhelming favourites with a home win priced at 4/17 by SBK. An unlikely victory for Maccabi Haifa is valued at 14/1 by BetVictor while a draw is set at odds of 31/5 by SBK.
Head to head
This will be the first ever meeting between Benfica and Maccabi Haifa.
Players to watch
Goncalo Ramos has impressed for Benfica this season, scoring three goals in four appearances during the qualifiers. The forward will be the one to watch on Tuesday and is priced at 20/21 by bet365 to get on the score sheet.
Benfica have also impressed defensively with Morato and Nicolas Otamendi forming a solid centre-back partnership. They have kept clean sheets in their last two Champions League fixtures and a repeat is priced at 5/6 by Coral.
Anything else catch the eye?
Benfica have dominated in the early stages of the Champions league and could be tipped in the -2 handicap market at 13/8 with Paddy Power. Having won to nil in their last two Champions League fixtures, a similar outcome could be considered at 21/20 with BetVictor.
Benfica have scored in both halves in their last two home matches in the Champions League and Tuesday’s clash could be tipped to follow a similar pattern.
This UEFA Champions League match between Benfica and Maccabi Haifa will be played on Sep 6, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Benfica vs Maccabi Haifa prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
