Benfica vs Bologna Prediction: 11/12/2024

Benfica is having a strong season, currently ranked 14th with three wins and two losses. The Lisbon club recently secured a 3-2 win over Monaco, recovering from earlier defeats in the group stages. They are well-positioned in the race for qualification, sitting five points ahead of the 25th place team, which would miss out on the playoffs. With three games remaining, Benfica’s goal is to reach the top 8, just one point away, to secure automatic qualification for the Champions League round of 16.

Domestically, they are 3rd in Portugal, trailing Sporting and Porto. Since their victory in Monaco, they have played against Arouca and hosted Guimarães.

Bologna, meanwhile, is struggling in their quest for Champions League qualification. After a 0-0 draw with Shakhtar on September 18, the team endured four consecutive losses. They are currently 33rd in the standings, five points behind 24th place, which would earn them a playoff spot. Bologna needs perfect results in their remaining three games, but even then, they may not qualify if other teams perform well. They finally scored their first goal of the competition on matchday 5, a 2-1 loss to Lille. In Serie A, they have improved, climbing to 8th place before the November break, and are set to host Venice and travel to Juventus.

For Benfica, midfielder Sanches, who is on loan from PSG and frequently injured, is expected to miss the game again, as he did in the Monaco match. The availability of German full-back Beste and forwards Prestianni and Gouveia, who have been sidelined by injuries, is uncertain. There are no suspensions for Benfica, but Carreras and Aursnes risk a ban if they receive yellow cards on Wednesday. Aktürkoglu is the team’s top scorer in the Champions League with three goals, though he didn’t score in Monaco. Di Maria, with 9 goals and 5 assists across all competitions, contributed two assists in the victory.

Bologna, however, will still be missing midfielder Aebischer, who has been out for two months, and Moroccan winger El Azzouzi, who has yet to play this season. Striker Cambiaghi, who suffered a serious injury in August, is also unavailable. Karlsson, who has scored in Serie A but is often a substitute, is uncertain after missing the previous game against Lille. Lucumi scored Bologna’s only goal in the competition. Offensive players Orsolini, Dallinga, and Ndoye are all aiming to find the net, with Orsolini having scored five times in Serie A, while Dallinga and Ndoye have yet to score.

Prediction

Bologna has struggled in away matches in the Champions League, with one of the teams failing to score in 14 of their last 19 away games. Similarly, Benfica’s home matches often see only one team scoring, with both teams scoring in only two of their last nine matches. This trend suggests that a similar result is likely.

Prediction: Benfica 2 : 0 Bologna