Juventus vs Benfica prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – League phase betting tips on match 2025-01-28 20:00.
[p]Not even a goal scored by Randal Kolo Muani on his club debut prevented Juventus from suffering their first Serie A loss of the season as they were defeated 2-1 by title-chasing Napoli. With a 16-point deficit to the league leaders, the Bianconeri may shift their focus to the UEFA Champions League (UCL), where they sealed their progression to the next round by returning three consecutive clean sheets in the competition.[/p]
[p]Having drawn more than half of their 31 games in all competitions this season (W12, D16, L3) it’s hardly surprising their last UCL match ended in a 0-0 draw against Cercle Brugge. But after beating Manchester City 2-0 in their last UCL match at home, Juventus could register back-to-back home wins ‘to nil’ in this competition for the first time since the 2018/19 campaign.[/p]
[p]Despite a two-goal advantage, Benfica ended up on the wrong side of a spectacular nine-goal UCL match with Barcelona (L 5-4) last week. They are just two points ahead of 25th-placed Manchester City as a result after winning just one of their last five UCL outings (D1, L3). Their defensive woes continued over the weekend too when they lost 3-1 to Casa Pia, extending their deficit to league-leaders Sporting to six points.[/p]
[p]After winning their eighth Portuguese League Cup and reaching the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup in recent weeks, Benfica have something to build on. The visitors have also won three of their last four away UCL matches, despite conceding in each, including a 3-2 win against Monaco in their last such outing. Having beaten Juventus six times in eight European H2Hs, the Portuguese side will certainly feel confident of sealing their qualification here without the need for other results.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: With Kolo Muani being unavailable until the knockout phase, Juventus will need to count on Dušan Vlahović after he netted the opener in their last UCL home match, despite three of his last four goals arriving after the break. Fresh off his impressive hat-trick against Barcelona, Vangelis Pavlidis has recorded each of his last four goals in the opening 30 minutes.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Six of Benfica’s last seven competitive matches saw at least two goals scored before the break.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Tomáš Vlasák[/i][/p]