Benfica hosts Tondela in round 13 of Portuguese Primeira Liga. The match will be played on Friday, January 8th at Estádio da Luz (Lisbon)
The Eagles regained their champion’s title in 2019. Even in the next draw, they competed for this title for a long time. However, the former coach of Benfica, Bruno Lage, lacked experience then. He made too little use of rotation, and the team simply lost its sizzle in 2020. Benfica left the Europa League (after deserved defeats to Shakhtar Donetsk) and lost the leadership to Porto in Primeira. In the offseason, over-experienced Jorge Jesus, who returned from Brazil, appeared in the head coach's chair. There were also enough strong newcomers. Nevertheless, the results are not great. Benfica lost to the first opponent (Greek PAOK) in the Champions League qualification. Yes, the Eagles didn’t suffer a single defeat in the Europa League, but they will have to face Arsenal in the first round of the playoffs. Beyond that, there is already a lag behind Sporting in Primeira. And it increased after the last round. Because of the downpour, the Eagles played against Santa Clara from the sixth minute only on Monday. And there was another misfire in the form of a 1-1 draw.
| 2 x £10 Free Bet | Review | |||
| 100$-500$ for No Lose Free Bets | Review | |||
| 100% up to £200 | Review | |||
| Not available | Review |
Tondela routinely sets modest goals. Gold and Greens spent the lion's share of their history at the amateur level. They managed to make their debut in Segunda only in 2012 and appeared in Primeira three years later. Since then, the club has struggled for survival in virtually every season. Sometimes it turns out to be as dramatic as possible, and 11th place in 2017/18 remains the maximum achievement of Tondela. In general, the current draw is as usual. The team gains about a point per game and scores fewer goals than concedes. Since the end of November, there has been an obvious decline, with one point in five rounds. But after the New Year, Tondela managed to break its unpleasant streak: the only goal of Gonzalez brought victory over Famalicao. Mario, who moved from the French Clermont, has already become the leader of his new team.
Tondela is high enough in the standings, and the players may not think about how to bend over backwards on Friday and avoid a romp. We will bet on the home victory of the grandee with a handicap of two goals.
Prediction for the match: Benfica to win with -2.0 handicap
