A place in the group stage of the Champions League is up for grabs as Dynamo Kiev host Benfica in the playoff first leg in Poland as they cannot play their home matches in Ukraine because of the ongoing conflict.
Dynamo Kiev reached the Champions League playoffs after overcoming Sturm Graz in the previous round. After claiming a 1-0 victory at home, they needed extra-time in the second leg before seeing off the Austrians 3-1 on aggregate.
That result is typical of Dynamo Kiev’s recent form as they also needed extra-time before seeing off Fenerbahce in the second-round qualifying. The Ukrainians are regulars in the group stage of the Champions League but their erratic showings in recent weeks must be concerning for manager Mircea Lucescu.
Dynamo Kiev head into Wednesday’s clash with just one regulation time win in their last seven matches across all competitions. Some of the results in that run include a 3-0 friendly defeat to Everton while they suffered a similar loss to French side Lyon.
While Dynamo Kiev are struggling to find their rhythm, things have been relatively smooth for Benfica so far. They are playing with plenty of confidence and have won all four of their competitive matches across all competitions this season.
Benfica did the double over Danish side Midtjylland in the previous round to book their place in Wednesday’s clash. Roger Schmidt’s men won 4-0 at home in the first meeting before claiming a 3-1 victory in the second leg in Denmark.
The goals have flowed freely for Benfica this season as they do not appear to be missing Darwin Nunez, who departed for Liverpool this summer. They have also impressed defensively and have kept two clean sheets in their last three matches across all competitions.
How the bookies view it
Benfica are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies and are priced at 13/17 to claim the win. Dynamo Kiev are outsiders at home at 17/4 with Unibet while a draw is set at odds of 14/5 by Unibet.
Head to head
Benfica have never lost to Dynamo Kiev, claiming three wins and a draw from four previous meetings. Both teams met in the group stage of the Champions League last season with Benfica playing out a 0-0 draw in Ukraine before returning home for a 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture.
Players to watch
Viktor Tsygankov has been one of the more impressive players for Dynamo Kiev this season and scored the winner in the third round victory at Sturm Graz. Bet365 has the attacker at odds of 11/2 to find the net on Wednesday.
Goncalo Ramos has made a fine start to the season for Benfica, scoring five goals in four matches across all competitions. The attacker also scored four goals in the two matches with Midtjylland in the previous round and is priced at 7/5 by Coral to get on the score sheet on Wednesday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Benfica have impressed going forward this season and having scored in both halves in the two matches against Midtjylland, a similar outcome could be considered at 2/1 with bet365. There have been more goals after the break in Benfica’s last two matches and this clash could be tipped to follow a similar pattern at 11/10 with William Hill.
There have been over 3.5 goals in Benfica’s last two Champions League matches and a repeat could be on the cards at 29/10 with Unibet. Over 2.5 goals can also be considered at 11/10 with Unibet.
This UEFA Champions League match between Dynamo Kiev and Benfica will be played on Aug 17, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Dynamo Kiev vs Benfica prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
