Benfica take on the visitors Bologna in the round 6 match of UEFA Champions League group stage. The match will be played on Wednesday, December 11th at Estadio da Luz (Lisbon).
In their last 19 matches, Benfica has suffered just two defeats—against Feyenoord and Bayern Munich—and recorded one draw in the Portuguese league. The rest of their games were victories. In their most recent Champions League fixture, the team secured an away win over Monaco, bringing their points total to nine and placing them 14th in the overall Champions League standings. They are just one point behind Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal, and Monaco, who occupy 6th to 8th positions. Injury-wise, Renato Sanches and Tiago Gouveia remain sidelined. Midfielder Renato Sanches has a muscle injury and hasn’t played in three games, while forward Tiago Gouveia has been out with a shoulder injury since August 24. Wins against Crvena Zvezda, Atletico Madrid, and Monaco in the Champions League have given Benfica a real shot at breaking into the top eight in the group stage.
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In Serie A, Bologna recently drew away against Juventus, squandering a 2-0 lead. Their next league game is against Fiorentina, and with only one point in the Champions League, the team might field a partially rotated squad against Benfica. Bologna has lost their last four Champions League games—to Liverpool, Aston Villa, Monaco, and Lille—and managed only a draw with Shakhtar. Bologna currently ranks fourth from the bottom with just one point and has scored the fewest goals among all 36 teams in the competition—a solitary goal so far. Injuries are another concern for Bologna, with Abishar, Orsolini, El-Azzouzi, Cambiaghi, and Lykogiannis unavailable. In Serie A, the club is in 8th place and needs to focus on domestic success, as their Champions League hopes are effectively over.
This will be the first-ever meeting between Benfica and Bologna in European competitions. Bologna’s motivation in the Champions League is low this season as they focus on Serie A. Conversely, Benfica will aim for victory, as they continue their strong performances in Portugal and hold a solid chance of advancing to the Champions League Round of 16. Benfica has climbed to 2nd place in the Portuguese league, just two points behind Sporting Lisbon, and has won five consecutive matches. Benfica’s recent 4-1 victory over Porto in the league and their consistent ability to score two or more goals in four of their last five matches underline their excellent form.
Prediction for the match: Benfica to win.
