Club Brugge vs Benfica Prediction for the match
UEFA Champions League
Jan Breydelstadion
Club Brugge finished second in Group B of the Uefa Champions League group stage, falling just a point behind FC Porto. In a group of tough competition with teams including Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, and Porto, Brugge managed to qualify for the Round of 16 with 11 points in their bag following 3 victories, 2 draws, and a single defeat. The main highlight of Group B remained Club Brugge defeating FC Porto 4-0 at Porto’s home and falling prey to the same therapy at the Jay Breydelstadion a few weeks later in the return game. Led by Scott Parker, Club Brugge’s recent form has been slightly weak, having won only a single game from their last 10 encounters in all competitions.
Benfica, on the other hand, stood top in Group H, leaving Paris Saint-Germain behind, not by points, not by goal difference, but it came down to the number of away goals scored. Before the final game of the group against Maccabi Haifa, Benfica was required to score 6 goals away from home and win the game by a minimum deficit of 5. Little did they know, those 90 minutes were enough for them to sneak a 6-1 victory over Maccabi. In a group that also included Juventus, Benfica did what no one had even thought of.
Led by the German international boss, Roger Schidmt, Benfica has been in exceptional form this season, heading the Portuguese league with a five-point margin over FC Porto. In their last 20 games from all competitions, Benfica has lost only 2 of them, winning 15 and drawing 3 times.
With both sides meeting for the very first time in the Uefa Champions League, there are no past head-to-head records. Brugge’s biggest win in the Champions League was 4-0 away from home against FC Porto. While SL Benfica's biggest win was 1-6 away from home against Maccabi Haifa.
Facts
- Club Brugge: In the Champions League this season, Brugge stands 20th in terms of the average possession held, with 47.7% equaling that of Sporting CP. Brugge has a passing accuracy of around 81.5% in the campaign. When it comes to discipline, Brugge has committed 55 fouls in total, having seen 21 yellow cards and 1 red card.
- Benfica: In this UCL campaign, SL Benfica are in the 16th position when it comes to average possession with a 49.7% hold on the ball. The passing accuracy of Benfica has been 86% throughout the season. On a disciplinary note, Benfica has been the better of the two, having fouled 71 times with only 13 yellow cards and no red.
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Statistics for Club Brugge and Benfica:
Club Brugge:Out of the 6 games played in the league, Brugge has scored at a rate of 1.16 goals per game and conceded goals at a rate of 0.67 goals per game. All 7 goals scored by Club Brugge have been from inside the area, which also includes the solitary penalty scored in the 4-0 victory against Porto.
Benfica: SL Benfica has managed to score in the six games at a rate of 2.67 goals per game, which is significantly higher than that of Brugge. Although Benfica has conceded goals at a higher rate, with 1.67 goals per match. Benfica has scored 12 goals inside the area, out of which 3 have been in the form of penalties, and a total of 3 goals have been scored from outside the area.
Our Prediction
Favorites to win: Benfica
In recent games, Brugge has managed to keep only a single clean sheet out of 10 games. Benfica, on the contrary, has kept six clean sheets out of the last 10 matches. Benfica, of course not shy of scoring, has found the net 16 times throughout the Champions League group stage this season. Brugge has managed to get the ball past the goal only seven times in this Champions League group stage. Considering a home game for Club Brugge, we are predicting them to find the net once but yet be the second best trailing 1-2 to Benfica for this encounter.
