Last Updated on February 14, 2023 6:59 pm by Erwin Noguera
The Champions League is back and this Wednesday Brugge will host Benfica in one of the round of 16 games of the tournament, in a very tight and surprising matchup.
Brugge hasn’t had a very good 2023 but hopes to put all that aside in this tournament and get back on track.
Benfica is doing very well in the local tournament and expects to continue reaping good results at the international level.
When:
Wednesday, February 15 at 3:00 pm ET at the Jan Breydel stadium
Moneyline odds:
Brugge +293
Benfica -109
Draw Offs:
+256
Where Can I Watch it?
Vix+ and Paramount+
Why Bet on Brugge?
One of the teams that surprised in the Champions League group stage was Brugge, who managed to advance after scoring 11 points and finishing second behind Porto, eliminating Bayer Leverkusen and Atlético Madrid.
Scott Parker came this year to replace Carl Hoefkens, who was fired, but the results have not been as expected. Although they have gone 6 unbeaten games, they have only won 1 of their last 10 matches (7 of them with Parker). Without a doubt, these are bad news for a team that usually wins in local football. In addition, in the Champions League, they won the first 3 group games but then drew 0-0 with Atlético de Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen, both away, and fell 0-4 at home with Porto.
The offensive issue has been one of the team’s negative items, and that is that its scorer, Ferran Jutgla, has not scored a single goal in 2023 (5 games). Precisely Jutgla and Andreas Skov Olsen, another of the scorers, are injured and have not played the last few games. The Belgians hope that the Spanish can be on Wednesday, while the Danish issue is more complicated.
It is the first time that Brugge has advanced to the round of 16 since it was called the Champions League (1992).
Why Bet on Benfica?
Benfica comes to this commitment as the top favorite. The Portuguese team excelled and won the group against Paris Saint Germain, in addition to eliminating Juventus. They got 16 goals, being inferior in this category only to Bayern München and Napoli.
In the Portuguese league, they are doing very well, as they are leaders with 53 points, 8 more than Porto, although they have just been eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Portuguese Cup after losing to Braga on penalties. They have 8 undefeated games with 6 wins and 2 draws, also in the 6 games they won, they did not receive a goal.
One of the important casualties for Roger Schmidt’s team is that of Enzo Fernández, who went to Chelsea a few weeks ago in a 100 million-dollar transfer. Chiquinho has been in charge of replacing him. On the other hand, Gonçalo Guedes arrived in this market on loan from Wolverhampton and has scored 2 goals and given 1 assist in 5 games.
Final Betting Analysis: Brugge vs. Benfica
It will be the first time that these two teams meet and even though Brugge is the local team, Benfica is the favorite due to the most recent results of each one in their respective leagues. In addition, the Portuguese beat PSG in the group stage, which makes them a serious candidate.
At MyBookie.ag we find that Benfica is the favorite of the match with a Moneyline of -109, while Brugge has +293 and the draw is +256.
Benfica is not a powerhouse of European football as in other times. However, is still one of the best teams in the competition and has a squad capable of winning easily. Expect a Portuguese victory in both matches.
Go for a straight win for Benfica in the Moneyline. If you bet $100 on the win at -109, you will gain $92 for a total payout of $192.
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