Benfica are still seeking their first win in Group D of the UEFA Champions League as they travel to Reale Arena for a clash against Real Sociedad. The Portuguese giants are expected to put up a fight but much like the first meeting, Sociedad have the quality to navigate to a slender victory on Wednesday.
Real Sociedad head into Wednesday’s clash off the back of a 1-0 home defeat to Barcelona in a La Liga fixture last weekend. They had frustrated the Catalans for much of the encounter and appeared to be headed for a draw before conceding an injury time winner.
That was only the second defeat in 11 matches across all competitions for Real Sociedad, who are looking sharp this season. That run includes two wins and a draw in the Champions League with Brais Mendez’s effort proving the difference in a 1-0 victory in the first meeting with Benfica.
Real Sociedad may have been beaten by Barcelona, but their record at Reale Arena has been solid this season. Imanol Alguacil’s men had claimed three straight home wins prior to that defeat, although they have kept just two clean sheets in their last eight matches in front of their fans.
It has been an abysmal Champions League campaign for Benfica, who have lost all three of their matches so far. They were beaten 1-0 by Real Sociedad last time out after being second best for much of the encounter and finishing with just three attempts on target.
Benfica have reached the quarterfinals in the last two Champions League campaigns but appear a shadow of themselves this time around. Roger Schmidt’s men are bottom of Group D and in danger of crashing out of Europe completely.
A small positive for Benfica is that they have something to build on having done much better in other competitions. They have been particularly impressive on their recent travels, winning their last four away matches, including a 2-0 victory at Chaves in a Primeira Liga fixture on Saturday.
How the bookies view it
Real Sociedad have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 4/5 by bet365 to claim the win. A victory for Benfica is valued at 4/1 by Coral while bet365 is offering odds of 11/4 for a draw.
Head to head
The reverse fixture was the first ever meeting between Real Sociedad and Benfica.
Players to watch
Brais Mendez has caught the eye for Real Sociedad in the Champions League, scoring in every game so far. The striker could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime on Wednesday at odds of 3/1 with BetVictor.
Benfica are yet to find the net in the Champions League but will be hoping to take advantage of Real Sociedad’s defensive vulnerability. Striker Arthur Cabral has scored in two of the last three away matches and is priced at 7/2 by BetVictor to find the net on Wednesday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Real Sociedad and Benfica have some attacking quality and both teams could be backed to score at 19/20 by bet365. With both teams likely to find the net and Soceidad expected to come out on top, over 2.5 goals could be on the cards at 21/20 with bet365.
With Wednesday’s clash likely to be an open encounter, Real Sociedad could be backed to score in both halves at 2/1 by Coral.
This UEFA Champions League match between Real Sociedad and Benfica will be played on Nov 8, 2023 and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best Real Sociedad vs Benfica prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
