Toulouse vs Benfica prediction: EUROPE: Europa League – Play Offs betting tips on match 2024-02-21 17:45.
After an explosive second half in the first leg of Toulouse and Benficaâs UEFA Europa League knockout-round play-off tie, the French outfit find themselves needing to overcome a 2-1 deficit if theyâre to prolong their first European campaign for 14 years. A pair of Ăngel Di MarĂa penalties either side of Mikkel Deslerâs equaliser did the damage for Les Pitchouns – the second of which came in the 98th minute following Christian Mawissaâs sending-off.
Toulouse can now look to leverage home advantage, although the Stadium de Toulouse faithful will be wondering which version of their team will show up. On the one hand, Toulouse havenât won any of the five games on their own patch since the Europa League group stage concluded (D2, L3), while on the other hand, they have emerged victorious in two of their three home encounters in Europe this season (D1), including earning an historic triumph over Liverpool.
Carles MartĂnez Novellâs men did show their class at the weekend with an unexpected 2-1 win at Monaco in Ligue 1, only to be outdone by their upcoming opponents, who thrashed Vizela 6-1 and are in strong contention to defend their Primeira Liga title. Benfica will therefore be confident that they can close out the tie here, just as they have done in 50 of the last 60 matches after recording a first-leg victory at home in UEFA club competitions.
A one-goal advantage is often sufficient as well, since the Eagles have advanced on 21 of the 29 occasions when theyâve held such a lead prior to hitting the road for the second leg. However, manager Roger Schmidt may be wary of the Portuguese giantsâ questionable record on French soil, where theyâve lost half of their 16 European ties and won only four.
Players to watch: Toulouseâs Thijs Dallinga will likely grow more dangerous as the game wears on, since seven of his last eight goals have come after half-time. Outdoing Ăngel Di MarĂaâs influential first-leg performance will be tough going, especially if the FIFA World Cup winner adds to his four career goals against Toulouse, although none of those have come away from home.
Hot stat: Benfica have been winning at half-time and full-time in five of their last six away matches.