Real Sociedad v Benfica

Real Sociedad vs Benfica Preview

Onto Group D and this upcoming Matchday 4 fixture features a clash between top versus bottom as Spanish hosts, Real Sociedad, play host to Portuguese visitors, Benfica, at the Reale Arena with an important three points at stake for both clubs, with Real Sociedad looking to bounce back from a 1-0 defeat at home to Barcelona while Benfica will be seeking a third win on the trot.

Despite their recent loss to Barcelona in the domestic La Liga on the weekend, Real Sociedad have produced a promising start to their Champions League group campaign as the hosts still remain unbeaten and sit joint-top of the Group D table level on seven points apiece with Italian club, Inter Milan.

An opening 1-1 draw at home with Inter Milan on Matchday 1 was followed by impressive back-to-back wins against Salzburg and Benfica, both of which were achieved on their travels so Real Sociedad will feel they have already done the bulk of the hard work as they now return to the home surroundings of their Reale Arena for this upcoming clash with Benfica.

Previous results at home in the Champions League though have been rather inconsistent where Real Sociedad have been concerned as the hosts have picked up just two wins from their previous nine ties but the Spanish hosts know they have a great opportunity here to improve this record against Benfica.

Onto the Portuguese visitors then, and Benfica find themselves sitting bottom of the Group D table with zero points to their name following defeats in each of their three opening games so far in this group campaign but having posted back-to-back wins on the domestic front, Benfica will be hoping they can transfer some of this domestic success onto the European stage on Wednesday night.

Recent wins against Arouca in the Portuguese domestic cup along with a 2-0 win at Chaves in the Primeira Liga were both collected on the road and although the Portuguese club face a third away match on the trot, these recent victories should nevertheless provide a boost for Roger Schmidt's side.

However, Benfica have failed to live up their performances in last season's Champions League this time around as the visitors have now failed to win any of their last five ties overall in this competition and have suffered four defeats in the process with losses to Inter Milan (twice), Salzburg and Real Sociedad respectively, the latter being the recent 1-0 loss at home to the Spaniards.

Real Sociedad v Benfica Verdict

Real Sociedad are therefore seeking to achieve ‘the double' over Benfica here on Wednesday night and with home advantage behind them on Matchday 4, this looks a likely outcome.

Therefore, our main bet will be Real Sociedad win @ 1.90

Other side bets worth considering:

Real Sociedad win & Under 2.5 goals @ 4.00

Correct Score: Real Sociedad 1-0 @ 7.00