Benfica take on the visitors Auckland City in the round 2 match of FIFA Club World Cup. The match will be played on Friday, June 20th at Inter&Co Stadium (Orlando, FL).
Benfica failed to reclaim dominance in Portuguese football. The Eagles effectively replicated their 2023/2024 campaign. Once again, they engaged in a fierce title race with Sporting that lasted until the final matchday — and once again, it was their Lisbon rivals who made fewer mistakes and retained the crown. To make matters worse, Benfica also lost the domestic cup final to Sporting shortly thereafter. They did claim one piece of silverware in winter, winning the League Cup derby thanks to Trubin’s heroics in a penalty shootout. Bruno Lage’s side, which still includes Real Madrid loanee Carreras, are hoping to redeem themselves at the Club World Cup. They opened the tournament against Boca Juniors and, despite going 0-2 down, mounted a comeback to secure a draw — a sign of resilience they’ll want to build on.
| 2 x £10 Free Bet | Review | |||
| 100$-500$ for No Lose Free Bets | Review | |||
| 100% up to £200 | Review | |||
| Not available | Review |
Auckland City remain a textbook case of "a lion among sheep" in Oceania. With Australia long gone to the Asian confederation and Wellington Phoenix competing in Australia’s A-League, Auckland face no serious domestic or regional opposition. That was evident again this spring as they comfortably won yet another OFC Champions League title. But on the global stage, their limitations become obvious. Outside of rare surprises, they usually crash out of international tournaments early — and heavily. In the new Club World Cup format, they opened against Bayern Munich with a makeshift semi-professional squad, many of whom had to get time off work. The result? A merciless 0-10 loss where they barely broke into a jog.
This will be the first-ever meeting between Benfica and the Oceanian powerhouse. There’s no question about the outcome — the Portuguese side should win emphatically. Back them with a -5.5 goal handicap.
Prediction for the match: Benfica to win with -5.5 handicap.
