Benfica go host Estoril Praia for Estadio da Luz on Monday for Primeira Liga match, and e dey look like one clear chance for Eagles to continue their fine form. The Lisbon side don dey fly since last week, as dem beat Casa Pia 7-0 for di league and later overcome AGF Aarhus 3-1 for Europa League qualifier to enter di main stage.
Di win over Aarhus con make am 3-1 on aggregate, and e extend Benfica’s winning run to three matches across all competitions. But because of fixture congestion, dem no play Moreirense last weekend, so dem dey sit seventh for di table with one game in hand. Coach Marco Silva go want make dem pick up three points and continue to pressure di teams for top.
For Estoril, things no dey easy. Di Canaries don suffer two consecutive defeats for di league, first 2-0 loss to Nacional and then 2-0 reverse against Rio Ave. Dem get only one point from three matches, and dem dey 16th for table. Worse still, Estoril don go 11 league matches without victory, and di defensive problems wey dem carry from last season still dey there, as dem don already score five goals for dis campaign.
On team news, Benfica get some good tori. New signing João Palhinha don officially join di club on Wednesday, and e fit make im debut for dis match. Di Portugal international go add strength and experience for midfield. But captain Fredrik Aursnes still dey doubt after im suffer sprained ankle for di game against Aarhus. Marco Silva say e no serious, but dem go test am before kickoff.
Gianluca Prestianni don score two goals for Aarhus, so e go start for di flank, while Rafa Silva also score last time out and go play for di other side. Vangelis Pavlidis, wey be di top scorer, go lead di attack. For Estoril, Jordan Holsgrove don miss three matches with muscle injury, and e no fit play. But Xeka don return from suspension after im red card for Nacional match.
Di history of dis fixture favor Benfica well well. Dem don beat Estoril for di last nine league meetings, including two 3-1 wins last season. For Estadio da Luz, Benfica don win all di last five encounters. Also, Benfica no don lose any of dem past ten home games, with seven wins and three draws. Estoril, on di other hand, no don win for dia last five away matches.
Bookmakers dey see Benfica as heavy favourites, with odds of -1111 wey give dem about 92% chance of winning. Di match dey expected to get goals, as Benfica dey average four goals per game for dia last eight outings. One popular prediction na correct score of 3-0 for Benfica, and many betting sites dey also look at Asian Handicap -2.25 for di favourites. But na so e be; match go decide.
Benfica likely go use 4-2-3-1 formation, with Samuel Soares for goal, Alexander Bah, Tomas Araujo, Clement Lenglet and Samuel Dahl for defence. Enzo Barrenechea and Leandro Barreiro go hold midfield, while Rafa Silva, Georgiy Sudakov and Gianluca Prestianni go support Pavlidis for attack. Estoril go reply with 3-4-3, as Joel Robles dey for goal, and Stelios Andreou, Ferro and Ismael Sierra for back three. Xeka and Antef Tsoungui go man di midfield.
Di stats show say Benfica get 55.2% possession for di last 10 matches, with average 462.4 passes and 8.1 corners. Estoril dey average 52.1% possession, but dem dey concede plenty chances, with 1.8 goals per game from 11.5 attempts. Dis one fit be big problem for dem for Estadio da Luz.
