RB Salzburg host Benfica in their final Group D fixture of the UEFA Champions League with both teams already eliminated from the competition. A place in the Europa League is the prize and the Austrians are likely to claim the upper hand in front of their fans.
RB Salzburg have struggled to cope with the quality in Group D of the Champions League having picked up just one win from five matches. They played out a 0-0 draw with Real Sociedad in their previous fixture which put them in the driver’s seat for a Europa League place.
One positive for Salzburg ahead of Tuesday’s clash is that their only win in Group D was a 2-0 victory at Benfica on match day one and they will be looking to channel that performance. They are also unbeaten in eight of their last nine matches across all competitions and picked up a 1-0 victory over Rapid Vienna in a domestic fixture last weekend.
The Red Bull Arena has been a bit of a fortress for Salzburg in recent weeks as they have claimed three wins from their last four home matches across all competitions. However, Gerhard Struber’s men are still seeking their first home win in this season’s Champions League having lost to Inter Milan and Real Sociedad in their previous two fixtures.
It has been a disappointing Champions League campaign for Benfica, who have been far from their best this season. They have lost four of their five matches and are currently bottom of the Group D standings with just one point.
Benfica’s only point in the Champions League came last time out as they battled to a thrilling 3-3 draw with Inter Milan. They raced to a three-goal lead before the break but were pegged back by the Serie A side in the second half.
That result is a part of Benfica’s recent run of draws as they have been held in their last three matches. Roger Schmidt’s men travel to Salzburg off the back of a 1-1 scoreline with Farense in a domestic fixture last weekend.
How the bookies view it
Despite their struggles, Benfica have the slight edge among the bookies as they are priced at 29/20 by Coral to claim the win. A victory for Salzburg is valued at 9/5 by bet365 while Paddy Power is offering odds of 14/5 for a draw.
Head to head
The only previous meeting between Salzburg and Benfica was the reverse fixture back in September which ended 2-0 in favour of the Austrians.
Players to watch
Oscar Gloukh has shown some good form for Salzburg in recent weeks, scoring in two of the last four matches. The forward was also on target in the reverse fixture with Benfica and is priced at 10/3 by bet365 to find the net on Tuesday.
Benfica also have some attacking quality with Rafa Silva scoring three times in the last six matches across all competitions. The forward could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime at 9/4 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Benfica have seen over 3.5 goals in their last two Champions League matches and a similar outcome is priced at 7/4 with BoyleSports. Over 2.5 goals could also be considered at 8/13 with Coral.
RB Salzburg have scored first in their last two matches and could be set to grab the opening goal on Tuesday at 11/10 with bet365.
This UEFA Champions League match between RB Salzburg and Benfica will be played on Dec 12, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best RB Salzburg vs Benfica prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
