An evenly matched contest is on the cards as Monaco host Benfica in a UEFA Champions League fixture on Wednesday. Both teams are in good form at the moment and should cancel each other out in a potentially high-scoring contest.
Monaco are having a solid Champions League campaign this season as they are well positioned for automatic qualification. Adi Hutter’s men have picked up three wins and a draw from four matches and edged out Bologna last time out.
Things have been generally smooth for Benfica as they have won their last three matches across all competitions. They have scored three goals in each of the last two fixtures in that run and picked up a 3-2 victory over Brest last weekend.
Benfica are seeking a spark for their Champions League campaign having lost their way in the last two matches. They had begun with two straight wins but have now suffered back-to-back defeats, including a 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich.
The good news for Benfica is that beyond the Champions League blip, their overall form has been solid with five wins from their last six matches across all competitions. Bruno Lage’s men also score lots of goals, and claimed a 4-1 over Porto before a 7-0 thrashing of Estrela.
How the bookies view it: Upper hand for Monaco
Monaco have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 11/10 by Betfred to claim the win. A victory for Benfica is valued at 12/5 while Betfred is also offering odds of 2/1 for a draw.
Head to head: Benfica unbeaten
There have been only two previous matches between Monaco and Benfica with both teams meeting during the group stage of the 2014-15 Champions League. The Portuguese side held out for a 0-0 draw in France before claiming a 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture.
Players to watch: Red hot Di Maria
Benfica’s Angel Di Maria comes into Wednesday’s match in red hot form having scored five goals in the last two matches. The veteran attacker is priced at 16/5 by Betfred to score anytime.
Monaco have plenty of quality in attack but Maghnes Akliouche has caught the eye in the last few matches. The forward has two Champions League goals this season and is priced at 13/5 by Betfred to score anytime.
Probable line-ups
Monaco have injury problems with Krepin Diatta, Edan Diop and Folarin Balogun still out injured. Thilo Kehrer should continue at the back while Breel Embolo should retain his place in attack.
Kerem Akturkoglu was a halftime substitute last weekend but should earn a start on Wednesday. Di Maria should also continue in attack alongside Vangelis Pavlidis, who is expected to lead the line.
Monaco: Majecki, Mawissa, Salisu, Kehrer, Vanderson, Magassa, Zakaria, Akliouche, Ben Seghir, Golovin
Benfica: Trubin, Fernandez, Otamendi, Araujo, Bah, Florentino, Aursnes, Akturkoglun Kokcu, Di Maria, Pavlidis
Anything else catch the eye?
Monaco have seen over 3.5 goals in their last two matches and a repeat could be considered at 13/8 with Betfred. Wednesday’s clash is expected to be a closely fought contest which could produce a halftime draw at 13/10 by Betfred.
There have been more goals after the break in the last two matches for both Monaco and Benfica and a similar pattern is priced at 21/20 with Betfred.
This UEFA Champions League match between Monaco and Benfica will be played on Nov 27, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Monaco vs Benfica prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
