Benfica vs Rangers prediction: EUROPE: Europa League – Play Offs betting tips on match 2024-03-06 20:00.
Benfica suffered a morale-damaging 5-0 defeat at the hands of Porto on Sunday, making it two successive losses for Roger Schmidt’s men who were undefeated in eight games prior to that (W6, D2). That run included a 2-1 aggregate success over Toulouse in the UEFA Europa League (UEL) knockout play-off round, and they return to continental action in this last-16 tie against Rangers having also met the Scottish side in the group stage of the 2020/21 edition of the competition, playing out two high-scoring draws (3-3, 2-2).
Those games make up two-thirds of Benfica’s stalemates against Scottish opponents, against whom they boast a dominant record (W6, D3, L3). Within those games is an almost perfect home return (W5, D1), although the Eagles may not take this for granted as their 2-1 home win against Toulouse in the first leg of the previous round was their only victory across the last five European home games (D1, L3).
Rangers were unbeaten in 2024, winning each of their first ten competitive games in the year, until a shock 2-1 defeat at home to Motherwell last weekend. That result delivered a blow to their domestic title hopes, although a group-topping UEL campaign has raised expectations for European success and a strong record against Portuguese opponents might only heighten that belief (W11, D7, L4).
Two of those clashes against Portuguese sides came on the way to the 2021/22 UEL final, when Rangers dumped Braga out of the competition at the quarter-final stage. That season was the only time that Rangers had progressed from a UEL last-16 tie (W1, L3), and having failed to win in eight of their last nine European away games (W1, D1, L7), a positive start to the tie in this clash is not a given.
Players to watch: Esteemed veteran Ángel Di María scored two penalties in Benfica’s latest European tie, part of a run that has seen his last four club goals arrive after half-time. Abdallah Sima could be a likely outlet for Rangers, and he has already scored four team opening goals, including three match openers, in European action this season.
Hot streak: Each of Rangers’ last eight competitive matches featured goals in both halves.