We’re nearing the business end of the UEFA Champions League qualifying stage. Juventus and Benfica are two teams on the bubble to advance to the next round, making Wednesday’s match a huge one. It’ll have the vibes of a knockout stage match.
Juventus is a solid favorite to win this one, priced at -120 on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. A Benfica upset is priced at +330 with the draw at +265. The total is set at 2.5 goals. Let’s dig into a preview and prediction for this Juventus and Benfica contest.
Juventus vs. Benfica prediction, pick
This has not been the Juventus we are accustomed to seeing. They’re sitting in fifth place in the Italian Serie A table, and barring a huge closing stretch of the season, would finish outside the top spot for the sixth straight season. It’s a baffling fall after winning nine straight Scudettos during the 2010s. But they do have the top talent you need to build a winner, and his name is Kenan Yildiz.
That’s the kind of talent who can paper over the flaws of many teams. With four goal involvements in six Champions League matches, advancing to the Round of 16 would be owed almost entirely to Yildiz.
Benfica will be dialed in on stopping the youngster. With legendary manager José Mourinho at the helm, they’re turning their season around, and have yet to lose in 18 Liga Portugal matches. A win on Wednesday puts them in control of their Champions League qualifying destiny, a huge motivator for a club on the smaller side when measured against other UCL sides.
Mourinho fields a young team, with many of Benfica’s players on the rise. They need the defense to step up, and will be counting on excellent center forward Vangelis Pavlidis to provide the goals. That hasn’t been a problem for him this year; the Greek national has 17 goals in 18 league games. And he’s no stranger to scoring Champions League goals against Juventus.
Juventus are the favorites, and rightfully so. But this team has a lot of holes—areas for Mourinho to exploit. Benfica are a hungry team with a quality attack and solid back line; I’m confident they have the juice to pull the upset and draw even with Juventus in the standings.
