Benfica v PSG
05 October 2000hrs
Football – Europe – Champions League
Pick PSG AH-0.25
Bookmaker bet365
Odds: 1.52 odds taken 1346 GMT, Tuesday 4th October
Wednesday night brings us Matchday 3 of this season’s Champions League group stage and features this upcoming top of the table fixture in Group H between Portuguese Liga Pro side, Benfica, and their French Ligue 1 counterparts, PSG, at Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica with both teams looking to gain the ascendency over the other in order to take another big step towards qualifying for the knockout rounds.
Table of Contents
Benfica Preview – Can Benfica extend impressive run?
Benfica will be seeking to make it three wins on the trot in the group stage of the Champions League when they face top of the table rivals, PSG, at their Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica following wins in the opening two matchdays with victories over Maccabi Haifa 2-0 at home and a 2-1 win away at Juventus which has earned the hosts maximum points to date.
Elsewhere, Benfica have put together a total of 20 matches without a loss in all competitions which includes progressing through the earlier qualifying rounds of this season’s Champions League which saw the hosts pick up victories against Danish club Midtjylland 7-2 on aggregate along with a 5-0 aggregate win against Ukrainian side, Dinamo Kiev, which earned Benfica a place in the group stage of the competition.
Benfica have therefore won their last six Champions League ties on the trot but they’re expected to face their toughest test yet in the shape of their French visitors and champions, PSG, in Wednesday night’s Matchday 3 clash in Lisbon, where the hosts will be hoping to post a fourth home win on the trot.
The bigger picture shows Benfica have lost just two out of their last 12 home ties in the Champions League which were to Bayern Munich and Liverpool, but they have also collected nine wins in the process as well, so they should be taken very seriously indeed, especially as they have lost just two of the previous seven meetings against PSG.
Benfica manager, Roger Schmidt, is expected to be without defenders Morato (ankle injury) and Tavares (knee injury), while Joao Victor is also struggling with a knee injury and looks doubtful to appear in this tie.
PSG Preview – Can PSG take big step towards KO rounds?
The French visitors, PSG, have also produced an impressive sequence of results heading into this Matchday 3 clash in Lisbon as the visitors are unbeaten in their last 25 matches in all competitions which includes no fewer than 21 victories within this period, so they too will fancy their chances of gaining the upper hand at the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica on Wednesday night.
On the Champions League front, PSG have lost just two of their last 10 ties overall which came in the form of defeats against Manchester City and Real Madrid, but the visitors have also collected six wins in the process which includes winning both of their opening two group games in this season’s competition by way of victories against Juventus 2-1 at home and a 3-1 win on the road at Maccabi Haifa.
PSG have therefore also picked up maximum points after the opening two matchdays and it’s looking likely that both they and Benfica will progress through to the knockout rounds of this competition, but there is still the more favourable of ties to sort out in Group H in order to gain the ‘best’ opposition.
Recent form away from home though at this level has left a lot to be desired of late with PSG winning just one of their last six away ties overall, which was the win at Maccabi Haifa but defeats on the road at Manchester City (twice) and Real Madrid, should have the visitors on notice here.
PSG manager, Cristophe Galtier, has injury concerns over defender Presnel Kimbembe (muscle injury) and midfielder Renato Sanches (groin injury) for this upcoming trip to Lisbon, but the attacking triumvirate of Mbappe, Messi and Neymar, should pose Benfica plenty of problems in the final third.
Don’t miss out on other Betting Tips & Predictions
Click here for more Betting Tips
Benfica v PSG
Key Facts – Benfica v PSG Tip
- Benfica have lost just 2 out of their last 12 home ties in the CL
- PSG have lost just 2 of their last 10 ties overall in CL
- PSG recorded a 3-2 win against Benfica in last meeting in a ICC tournament
Both Benfica and PSG boast impressive sequences of results across all competitions and both are worthy of their current top two positions in Group H but the French visitors may just edge it in terms of attacking quality, so the prospects of an away win here seem quite favourable in what is expected to be an intriguing contest on Wednesday night.
The best betting odds for Benfica v PSG
Benfica to win: 4.20 at bet365
Draw: 4.33 at bet365
PSG to win: 1.72 at bet365
