Benfica welcome the visitors Galatasaray in the Europa League Play-offs – 1/16 Finals. The match will be held on Thursday, February, 21st, at the Estadio da Luz (Lisabon).
In the first leg against Galatasaray, Benfica managed to attain quite a solid advantage of a 1:2 win in Turkey; so, they certainly feature more chances to progress to the next stage than their opponents do, but they won’t secure the last-match result, as defensive play is very risky – the opponent are not that easy. Benfica scored their last goal at the Estadio da Luz yet in September match against Bayern Munich in the Champions League group stage. The ‘Eagles’’ rush forward in the first leg was amazing – in the second half, they hit nine times of which four were on target, and Galatasaray did not manage the strikes. The Portuguese have deservedly registered a victory out. At home though, they will still have to rush forward; it is possible that the sides will start sluggishly, but as soon the opener is scored, the play will develop. Benfica will not hold an easy match, as the guests will pressure at once.
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Galatasaray failed the second half of the first leg; the first half seemingly saw an equal play – the Turks were even leading a bit in front, but the second half was totally in Benfica’s hands. The guests have nothing left but to rush forward and try open football, as they need to net at least twice. Only once in five latest fixtures, Galatasaray could keep their goal locked, allowing in all other matches. They face no issues in attack, boasting many famous players in their squad (yet in the past maybe). In our view, there is no point for the Turkish team to shut out; most likely, they will try to create a pressure on the hosts’ goal from the very beginning; the Portuguese counterattacked very well in the first leg, so, Galatasaray will not play ‘to nil’ for sure.
The guests should take the lead tomorrow. They need to make at least two goals to advance to the next stage. After a missed goal, Benfica will look to counterattack. Thus, we predict an effective match that will see three goals at least.
Prediction for the match: Over 2.5 goals.
