Manchester United travel to Portugal to take on Benfica this week, with another European victory for Jose Mourinho’s men all but guaranteeing their place in the Champions League knock-out stage. Their opponents are pointless after two matches, with the home side under pressure to deliver in front of their home fans at the Estadio da Luz.
Champions League – A Luz, Lissabon – Wednesday 18th October – 19:45 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 11/4 at Ladbrokes |
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Benfica Lisboa
Manchester UnitedMatch Preview
The Portuguese champions suffered a 5-0 defeat in Basel last time around, whilst Manchester United romped to a comfortable victory in Moscow, making the visitors the favourites for three points come Wednesday evening. The Premier League side have conceded just one goal in the Champions League this season, with their attacking exploits having caught the attention of many fans around Europe. As a result, there are a number of betting markets worth exploiting surrounding this match. However, let’s first take a closer look at the two teams in terms of form and availability.
Benfica Team News & Form
Benfica earned a narrow victory over Olhanense in the Portuguese top-flight last time around, leaving them third in the standings, behind rivals Sporting Lisbon and FC Porto. Manager Rui Vitória has failed to get the best out of his players so far this season, with the amount of departures at the Estadio da Luz having seemingly effected the team greatly. The likes of Raul Jiminez, Ljubomir Fejsa and Gabriel Barbosa are among the standout players for the home side, however Benfica fans will certainly be worried about a lack of attacking threats, especially given their opponents defensive record so far this season.
Manchester United Team News & Form
United battled to a goalless draw with Liverpool at Anfield at the weekend, with Mourinho likely to play significantly more attacking in his country of birth. The former Porto boss will be hoping to get one over his old rivals, while both Nemanja Matic and Victor Lindelof could well start against their former side on Wednesday. Both Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini are both still sidelined through injury, however defensive duo Luke Shaw and Marcos Rojo have been named in the travelling squad following long spells out through injury. The attacking threat of Romelu Lukaku, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford is likely to ensure that United are a constant threat in the Portuguese capital.
Head to Head
The two teams have met on six occasions since 2005, with Benfica having recorded just one victory over United in such matches. The duo met in the Champions League back in 2011 however, with two score draws being played out. United’s last away win over Benfica came back in 2006.
Betting Odds and Predictions
Given the two teams differing form heading into this match, it comes as little surprise that United are the favourites for victory with the majority of bookmakers. Bookmakers Ladbrokes offer Mourinho’s men odds of 5/6, while the home side can be backed at 15/4. Elsewhere, for those thinking that the away side might once again play for a draw, the same bookmakers offer odds of 11/4.
Top Betting Tip
However, our top betting tip for the match is to bet on both teams to score, which is available at appealing odds of 10/11 at Ladbrokes.