Benfica Vs Juventus Match Preview and Prediction

By John



This is a pivotal UEFA Champions League (UCL) clash for both Benfica and Juventus, with the hosts in the driving seat. Coming into the round, they are top and level with Paris Saint-Germain on eight points meaning a win would guarantee a top-two finish in Group H, though a draw would also suffice if Maccabi Haifa fail to overcome PSG at the Parc des Princes.

However, there is no doubt that the Portuguese outfit will be backing themselves to get the job done without help from others, especially considering the form they are in. Benfica's last competitive defeat came back in May against Porto, which was a loss they avenged this past weekend after beating their title rivals 1-0 in domestic action, extending their unbeaten competitive run to 20 matches (W17, D3). They also boast a formidable home record in Europe, losing just three of their last 23 outings (W14, D6) at the Estádio da Luz.

That will be a concern for visiting Juventus whose Champions League ambitions are hanging by a thread after picking up just three points so far (L3), and subsequently they sit five points behind their opponents and must win here to have any chance of making it to the UCL knockout phase for a ninth  successive season. However, they've lost each of their last three matches against Benfica in Lisbon, and also suffered a 2-1 loss despite taking the lead during the last H2H in Turin, making it five Juve losses from the last seven matches between these two at any venue.

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri spoke with defiance over the weekend when discussing this up-and-coming contest, stating his team "we're not out of the Champions League yet". They have won their last two domestic matches 'to nil', with the first of this mini-streak ending a winless away run stretching eight competitive matches (D2, L6), so Allegri may believe his side are showing signs of a turnaround that could continue here.

Players to watch: Players to watch: Benfica midfielder Florentino Luís has been a governing presence in this season's UCL tournament, and there are only two players who have made more tackles than him so far (17). Counterpart Adrien Rabiot is not normally known for his ability in front of goal, yet he has directly scored four of Juventus' last eight competitive goals.

Hot stat: Benfica have scored 2+ goals in eight of their nine competitive home games this season (W8, D1).

Fottennis Prediction: Benfica 2 Juventus 2
 

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