Two sides beginning to find their feet in the Champions League face off as Juventus host Benfica at Allianz Stadium on Wednesday for the penultimate fixture of the league phase.
The Old Lady failed to record a single victory in their opening four matches of the campaign (D3, L1) but have since won their last two outings in the competition. That resurgence leaves them 17th in the 36-team standings, two points adrift of the direct qualification places.
Juventus are aiming to win three straight Champions League matches for the first time since 2021-22, when they put together a run of five successive victories. However, they do not arrive with the best of momentum after suffering a league defeat to Cagliari at the weekend and will therefore be keen to deliver the perfect response on Wednesday.
Benfica, meanwhile, have already managed a bounce-back of their own, having secured a convincing league win at Rio Ave on Saturday, with the victory following consecutive domestic cup eliminations, first in the Taca da Liga semi-finals before last week’s quarter-final exit to rivals Porto in the Taca de Portugal.
Ten points adrift of the Primeira Liga summit and already out of the domestic cups, Jose Mourinho’s men will look to rewrite some wrongs by securing a place in the Champions League knockouts.
Momentum appears to be on their side in Europe after back-to-back victories following defeats in their opening four fixtures, leaving them just outside the playoff positions.
With victory in this encounter expected to strengthen either side’s qualification bid, a highly competitive contest awaits at Allianz Stadium on Wednesday.
How the bookies view it: Hosts backed as favourites
The bookmakers favour Juventus to take maximum points, reflected in their 5/6 odds on Ladbrokes. Benfica are priced at 10/3, while the draw is available at 5/2.
Head-to-head: Benfica dominance
Benfica have won seven of the nine previous meetings between the sides (D1, L1), including a 2-0 victory in Turin on matchday eight of last season’s Champions League. Meanwhile, Juventus’ only success in that run came in a 3-0 home win in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals back in March 1993.
Players to watch: Jonathan David to extend European run?
Jonathan David has found the net in each of his last two Champions League appearances for Juventus and has been directly involved in three goals across his last three outings overall. The 18/25 on Bet365 for the Canadian striker to score or assist looks appealing.
Benfica’s Vangelis Pavlidis should not be overlooked either, despite drawing blanks in his last two games. Eight goals and an assist across his last seven appearances still represent an excellent return, making the 19/14 on Bet365 for him to be directly involved in at least one goal good value.
Probable line-ups
Juventus remain light in attacking options, with Arkadiusz Milik and Dusan Vlahovic still sidelined through injury, while defender Daniele Rugani is also unavailable due to a calf issue.
Benfica will continue without Dodi Lukebakio, Nuno Felix (knee), Alexander Bah (knee) and Samuel Soares (muscle), while Richard Rios remains a doubt after missing the previous outing.
Juventus: Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly; McKennie, Locatelli, Thuram, Cambiaso; Conceicao, Yildiz; David
Benfica: Trubin; Dedic, Araujo, Otamendi, Dahl; Aursnes, Barrenechea; Prestianni, Barreiro, Sudakov; Pavlidis
Anything else that catches the eye?
Juventus have scored two or more goals in four of their six Champions League matches this season, while the same has occurred in five of their last six home games across all competitions, making the 10/11 on Ladbrokes an attractive option.
The Old Lady are also unbeaten in their last 18 competitive home matches, with 14 of those producing under 3.5 goals, so the 7/10 available on Betano stands out.
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