Benfica v Lyon
Wednesday 23rd October 2000hrs
Football – Europe – Champions League
Pick Both teams to score
Bookmaker William Hill
Odds: 8/13 odds taken 2000 GMT, Tuesday 22 October)
 |
1 | X | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23/20 | 13/5 | 23/10 |
* (Betting Odds were taken from 22Bet on October 22, 2019 at 20.00)
Group G looked as though it was going to be wide open and that’s the way it’s playing out. Benfica will be looking to make home advantage count and get their first points of the group against a Lyon team who are still unbeaten.
Champions League Betting at William Hill
Benfica Preview – Can Benfica get the win that will keep their qualification hopes alive?
Benfica failed to get out their group in the Champions League in either of the last two seasons and are now in a position where they require points quickly otherwise they will suffer the same fate. The Portuguese champions have lost at home to RB Leipzig and away to Zenit in the last round of games. It now means they face a double header against Lyon which will go a long way to determining where they finish in this section. The most concerning aspect of both games is the fact they have been two goals down and three goals down before getting late consolations. Bruno Lage will be demanding his team start much better in this contest and utilise home advantage better than they did against Leipzig.
Domestically Benfica are one point off surprise leaders Famalicao and level with rivals Porto. It looks like being another straight battle with their old foes for the title but they will also be hoping to make a much better impact in this competition than the previous couple of attempts. Joao Felix’ departure to Atletico Madrid in the summer was an obvious loss and they have lacked some attacking quality in their two Champions League games thus far. The onus is on Haris Seferovic to be the difference maker and he, has yet, has not been up to the task at this level – can he get what would just be his fourth Champions League goal?!
Lyon Preview – Will Lyon’s impressive start in this group continue now they are under the stewardship of Rudi Garcia?
Since their excellent 2-0 win away to RB Leipzig in the last round of games Lyon have had a change of manager. Time ran out on the Sylvinho experiment following a dreadful run of domestic performances and results and the club landed on the experienced Rudi Garcia. Far from a popular appointment Garcia will be under pressure from the supporters to turn things around quickly so a goalless draw at home to Dijon in his first game is hardly the ideal start. It also means Lyon have now gone eight games in Ligue 1 without a win. Indeed, the victory against Leipzig is their only success since the middle of August.
For all the talent this Lyon team have it’s an incredibly poor start domestically. The Champions League has offered some respite but the 1-1 draw at home to Zenit was another very unconvincing performance. However, if they can avoid defeat in this game it puts them in a great position to qualify for the second season in a row with two home games to come in the second half of this section.
Key-Facts – Benfica v Lyon
- Benfica have lost their first two Champions League games so far and require a win here to remain in the hunt for qualification
- The only semblance of positivity for Lyon of late came in this competition when defeating Leipzig 2-0 to go joint top of the group
- The last time these teams met in Lisbon Benfica ran out 4-3 winners
Benfica v Lyon Betting Advice
This is the first meeting between these two clubs since the 2010/11 Champions League. Both of those games ended in home wins with the game in Portugal resulting in a 4-3 victory. If we can get anything like that again we are in for a treat but Benfica would happily take a scrappy 1-0 win and keep their qualification hopes alive. Anything the visitors take from this game will put them in a really strong position and it will be interesting to see how Garcia approaches his first European match in charge.
Neither of these teams have convinced in attack for the majority of this season but the circumstances of this game could well see a few goals in the game. Benfica will have to force the issue as they need points and are the home team. Lyon are set-up well to counter and will look to capitalise on any space when their opponents go forward. It may go against recent trends but both teams to score is the speculative selection.
