Monaco vs Benfica prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Play Offs betting tips on match 2025-02-11 20:00.
[p]Monaco were thrashed 4-1 by PSG on Friday for what was a fifth defeat in nine matches across all competitions (W3, D1). Their previous loss also came by a three-goal margin against Inter Milan on matchday eight of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) league phase, with that result not only preventing them from finishing in the top-eight, but placing them as the highest-ranked unseeded side in the knockout play-offs.[/p]
[p]Benfica, who only finished above Monaco on goal difference, stand in their way, and Adi Hütter’s men may be pessimistic about their prospects of victory here. That’s not least because Monaco led twice and went on to lose 3-2 when these sides met in the league phase in November, but that result also continued a miserable record in the UCL against Portuguese opposition (W1, D1, L6).[/p]
[p]Benfica booked their place as the seeded side by impressively winning 2-0 at Juventus on matchday eight, and they’ve since backed that up with consecutive domestic victories despite conceding twice in each. Bruno Lage’s men should therefore make for confident travellers having won four of their last five UCL away games (L1), with each of those victories seeing them score at least twice. [/p]
[p]The two-time European champions also tend to enjoy their clashes with French opponents, losing just three of their 13 such matches in the UCL. The Eagles must feel they’ve every chance of securing a third successive away win in the main draw of the competition for the first time since its rebranding, and the action could come early as each of their last seven matches in any competition saw the deadlock broken inside 20 minutes.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Soungoutou Magassa’s only senior career goal came against Benfica in November’s H2H, while he also registered an assist against PSG on Friday night. Veteran centre-back Nicolás Otamendi has scored in back-to-back Benfica matches, with the Eagles unbeaten in the last six matches he’s scored in (W5, D1).[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Nine of Benfica’s last ten games have seen their opponents on the day receive the first yellow card. [/p]
[p][i]Written by Alex Bowmer[/i][/p]