Benfica v Barcelona

Benfica vs Barcelona Preview

Benfica bring an impressive eight-match unbeaten sequence into this upcoming 1st leg of their Champions League on Wednesday night having collected seven wins and a draw in recent weeks in all competitions including a 1-0 home win against Braga in the Portuguese Taca de Portugal, so confidence will be high amongst the Benfica camp.

Barcelona boast an even more impressive 15-game unbeaten sequence in all competitions ahead of this upcoming 1st leg tie at the Estadio da Luz on Wednesday night as the Spaniards have racked up 12 wins along with three draws in recent times, including a rousing 4-0 home win against Real Sociedad in the domestic La Liga last weekend.

Benfica will be hoping they can exploit home advantage at their Estadio da Luz on Wednesday night as the Portuguese outfit look to navigate their way past a strong Barcelona side and into the next round of the Champions League competition.

Three of Benfica's seven wins in their last eight games overall have been achieved on home soil with earlier wins in the Portuguese top flight against Moreirense and Boavista respectively, while results in the league phase of this season's Champions League have also been steady.

Four wins in total helped Bruno Lage's side into this upcoming two-legged tie but the hosts have only won once in their last five home ties overall at this level.

Barcelona will also be feeling upbeat and confident about their chances ahead of this upcoming trip to the Estadio da Luz as the Spanish visitors have collected 12 wins within their previous 15 games in all competitions, seven of which have been achieved on their travels.

Within these previous seven away wins, Barcelona have picked up wins in the domestic La Liga on the road at Sevilla and Las Palmas respectively, as well as recording a 5-4 win away at Wednesday night's opponents Benfica in the league phase of the Champions League.

Despite starting this season's Champions League campaign on a losing note as they were handed a 2-1 loss away from home at Monaco, Barcelona have since put together a seven-match unbeaten sequence in the elite European competition which includes wins on the road at Crvena Zvezda, Borussia Dortmund and Benfica respectively.

Goals have also featured in Barcelona's eight games in the league phase of this season's new format in the Champions League as all of their matches to date have resulted in Over 2.5 goals, but as the stakes get higher, a more circumspect approach is expected between Benfica and Barcelona at the Estadio da Luz on Wednesday night.

Benfica v Barcelona Verdict

Six out of the previous 10 meetings between Benfica and Barcelona have actually resulted in Under 2.5 goals and another tight contest is expected on Wednesday night.

Therefore, our main bet will be Under 3.5 goals @ 1.80

Other side bets worth considering:

Draw @ 4.00

Correct Score: 1-1 @ 9.00