The UEFA Champions League is getting back into full flow this Wednesday. Feyenoord will take on Benfica in Lisbon, and the hosts will definitely fancy their chances to take all three points. But what could unfold in this game?
Join us as we run through a full preview of this game right here.
How the bookies view it: Benfica big favourites
After two Champions League games this season, Benfica find themselves in 3rd place in the table having won both openers. They’ve scored 6 goals in just 2 games, too, which has no doubt helped shorten the odds to the current price of 11/20 ahead of this match.
As for Feyenoord, they are heavy underdogs at odds of 19/4, reflecting their results so far in the UEFA Champions League.
Head-to-head: Wins on both sides but only in friendlies
Benfica and Feyenoord have never actually played one another in an official competition. However, they have played two friendly games in recent times, and they’ve shared the spoils in those matches. That said, Feyenoord will want to forget their last encounter at the Estádio da Luz, as they were beaten 5-0 by Benfica.
Players to watch: Orkun Kökçü and Antoni Milambo
With 6 goals scored in 2 matches, Benfica has been rather prolific in finding the back of the net so far. And Orkun Kökçü has played a big role in those goals – scoring in each of their opening Champions League games. This means he has scored 1/3 of Benfica’s Champions League goals so far, and the odds for him to score anytime against Feyenoord are 4/1 right now.
For Feyenoord, it’s a bit of a different tale as we approach this game. Quite amazingly, while they beat Girona 3-2 in their latest game, two of those three were own goals. This leaves one man with an official recorded goal so far – Antoni Milambo.
Of course, since he’s already stepped up for Feyenoord, he’s certainly one to watch in Lisbon on Wednesday. And if you wish to back him to score anytime, you can lock in odds of 11/2 right now.
Predicted lineups
Luckily, neither of these teams has suffered any catastrophic injury issues so far. Benfica will be without Sanches and Gouveia, while Feyenoord will likely be missing Gimenez, Stengs, and Zechiel through various injuries. However, other than those absences, both teams should be able to put out more or less their desired starting 11.
Benfica possible starting lineup:
Trubin; Bah, Otamendi, Carreras, Arauju; Florentino, Kökçü, Aursnes; Akturkoglu, Di Maria, Pavlidis
Feyenoord possible starting lineup:
Wellenreuther; Lotomba, Beelen, Hancko, Bueno; Milambo, Hwang, Timber; Osman, Paixao, Ueda
Anything else catch the eye?
While yes, the last meeting between these sides was a friendly, it’s tough to ignore a 5-0 thrashing. Since that game was played in Portugal, we’re inclined to say that a Benfica handicap victory of -2.0 or even -3.0 is a justified call.
Furthermore, Benfica has multiple players who’ve already notched up some Champions League goals in the group stages. We mentioned Orkun Kökçü earlier, but players like Di Maria could easily add to their individual tallies too, especially against weaker opposition.
This UEFA Champions League match between Benfica and Feyenoord will be played on Oct 23, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Benfica vs Feyenoord prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
