Boca Juniors vs. Benfica Preview and Free Pick

The Club World Cup will feature a clash of historic giants—not just in their continents, but worldwide—when Boca Juniors and Benfica face off in the first match of Group C.

Boca Juniors had a rough first half of the year, getting knocked out in the preliminary round of the Copa Libertadores and the quarterfinals of the Argentine league.

Benfica, meanwhile, arrives in this tournament after a heartbreaking end to the Portuguese league, losing the title to their archrival, Sporting, on the final matchday.

Club World Cup: Boca Juniors vs. Benfica Betting Odds and Info

Why Bet on Boca Juniors?

Boca Juniors arrives in the United States looking to salvage a disastrous first half of the year. First, they were knocked out of the Copa Libertadores preliminary round by Peru’s Alianza Lima—a result that shocked everyone. As a result, the Argentine side will not be participating in any continental tournaments in 2025.

In the domestic league, despite a strong regular season where they finished second in their group with the same points as the leader and third overall, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals at home by Independiente (0-1). Before that, they had advanced past Lanús in a penalty shootout after a goalless draw.

That’s why all hopes are now placed on the Club World Cup. Boca is led by Miguel Ángel Russo, who’s in his third stint as head coach. He previously managed the team in 2007 and again from 2020 to 2021. In his first tenure, he won the Copa Libertadores, and in his second, he captured both a league title and a league cup.

Boca will be missing defender Ayrton Costa for the entire tournament after being denied a U.S. visa by the embassy, which prevents him from entering the country. Meanwhile, Edinson Cavani is still recovering from injury. Coach Russo has already confirmed that he won’t start and even cast doubt on whether he’ll be available on the bench for the opening match.

One big advantage for Boca will be the crowd. In a tournament that has struggled with ticket sales, FIFA confirmed that tickets for Boca Juniors’ matches are sold out. A massive turnout of ‘Xeneizes’ is expected, making it feel like they’re playing at La Bombonera.

Why Bet on Benfica?

But if Boca’s situation is bad, Benfica’s is downright heartbreaking. The Portuguese side had the league title in their hands—and let it slip away. And not only that—the team that took it from them was none other than their crosstown archrival: Sporting.

The two Lisbon giants were tied at the top of the table with two matches remaining and faced each other at Benfica’s home. The clash ended in a 1–1 draw, and since Sporting had won the first leg (1–0), they held the tiebreaker in case both teams finished with the same points—as seemed likely, with both sitting at 79.

On the final matchday, the ‘Lions’ defeated Vitória 2–0, while the ‘Eagles’ were only able to draw 1–1 with Braga, despite playing the final 30 minutes with a man advantage. That gave Sporting back-to-back league titles. And that wasn’t the end of the nightmare—just a week later, Benfica lost 3–1 in extra time to the same rival in the Portuguese Cup final after leading the match and conceding an equalizer via a penalty in the 90+11th minute.

That’s the battered Benfica arriving at the Club World Cup. The team is reeling from those blows and will also be bidding farewell to Ángel Di María, who will return to Rosario Central after the tournament to close out his career.

Striker Arthur Cabral has already left the club to join Botafogo, another team featured in this competition. On top of that, right-backs Alexander Bah and Tomás Araújo are out injured and were not included in the squad list.

Final Betting Analysis: Boca Juniors vs. Benfica

These are undoubtedly two teams arriving with heavy emotional baggage—especially Benfica, who lost two major titles to their city rivals in just the past month. Boca will have the boost of their passionate fans behind them, but we don’t think that will be enough to secure a win—though a draw seems likely.

The odds at Gambyl Exchange favor Benfica, with their Moneyline at -128, while Boca Juniors sits at +361, and a draw is placed at +287.

Despite being from different continents and theoretically only meeting under rare circumstances, these two clubs have faced each other five times—all in friendly matches. Boca won the first encounter, played in Portugal in 1953, by a score of 1–0. The other four meetings all ended in 1–1 draws—one in Argentina and the other three in the United States. The most recent was 30 years ago, in 1995, when Boca won 3–2 on penalties.

Go for a draw. If you bet $100 at +287, you will gain $287 for a total payout of $387.

Boca Juniors vs. Benfica Betting Pick: Draw