Benfica vs Monaco Prediction 18 February 2025
๐ Can Monaco make a comeback in the second leg of the Champions League playoff? After the home game, the team trails by a minimal margin. However, bookmakers are skeptical about their chances of winning the match, which will take place in Lisbon at the "Estรกdio da Luz". There is even less faith in Monaco advancing to the Round of 16, especially in light of key player losses. Nevertheless, the first half of last week's match showed that Benfica does not have a class advantage. Therefore, we will consider different options to make the prediction optimal.
Head-to-Head
Over the past 11 years, the opponents have played two head-to-head matches, both in the current Champions League tournament. In the league stage, Benfica was stronger away (3:2). They gained an advantage by having numerical superiority for the last half hour. There was also a sending-off in Monaco's lineup last week. At the start of the second half, the "Eagles" took the lead with a goal from Vangelis Pavlidis, and just four minutes later, Al-Musrati left Monaco with ten men. Fortunately for the hosts, they didn't concede any more goals; otherwise, the intrigue in the matchup would have been lost.
Head-to-head statistics Benfica - Monaco
Benfica Lisbon Team Overview
Benfica approaches the match with a series of five victories. It began in Turin, where the team defeated Juventus (2:0). Recently, they secured a not-so-easy victory in the national championship against Santa Clara (1:0). The only goal was scored by Bruma, who returned to Lisbon during the winter transfer window. This is his second appearance for Benfica and his first goal for the new team. Let's recall that the player started his career at Sporting, and now he will compete against them for the championship as part of their historical rival. It should be noted that Bruno Lage's team took advantage of the "lions'" slip-up and reduced the gap to two points in the league standings. Benfica's injury list continues to grow. Last week, Thomas Araujo and รngel Di Marรญa joined Renato Sanches, Manu, and Tiago Gouveia. Meanwhile, Florentino will miss the match due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
Match Results: Benfica Lisbon
AS Monaco Team Overview
Monaco has serious disciplinary issues. The red card in the first match against Benfica was already the third in the current Champions League campaign. Prior to this, the Monegasques were reduced to ten men in another match against Benfica and in the encounter with Inter (0:3), which cost the team a place in the playoffs. The lack of proper discipline also leads to a large number of conceded goals. Let us remind you, this year Monaco very rarely concedes less than twice. One such instance occurred last weekend in Ligue 1, where the team hosted Nantes. This time, the opponent scored as early as the fourth minute, but almost immediately was reduced to ten men. Thatโs when Monaco broke through (7:1). It is worth noting that Mika Biereth scored his second hat-trick since joining the team a month ago. Another newcomer was Al-Musrati, on loan from Besiktas. He was the one who left Monaco with ten men in the first leg against Benfica. In the upcoming match, Vanderson and Denis Zakaria, who are important players in the starting lineup, will not play due to an accumulation of yellow cards. Balogun and Singo are continuing their recovery.
Match Results: AS Monaco
โฝ๏ธ Prediction on Goals
Monaco has conceded in 12 out of their last 13 matches across different tournaments. Additionally, in 6 out of 7 away games, they failed to keep a clean sheet specifically in the second half. Moreover, the team conceded all goals from Benfica this season precisely after the break. Considering that Monaco needs to make a comeback, they will take more risks during the match if they don't score quickly. Therefore, a bet on a Benfica goal in the 2nd half seems justified.
๐ฉ Prediction on Corners
Benfica has a slight advantage in corners in the Champions League (4.4 against 4.3). In head-to-head matches, they outperformed Monaco in this aspect thanks to having the majority. On average, there are 9.6 corners in games involving the Portuguese team. Opponents regularly use the flanks in their attacks. Therefore, we suggest a bet on total corners over 9.5.
Editorial Prediction
The favorite for the upcoming match is Benfica. They secured a minimal advantage away, so now they can focus on defense and counterattacks. And Monaco is likely to make mistakes. Therefore, we note a potential exact score of 2:1.
Benfica's Pavlidis is in excellent form, having scored six goals in the current Champions League campaign. He scored once in each of the two head-to-head matches with the "Monรฉgasques." Monaco made a smart transfer with Biereth, who is scoring in batches in Ligue 1. In the Champions League, he has two goals for Sturm - it's time to score for his new team as well. Therefore, as a key bet, we choose - both teams to score (Yes).
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Betting Tips: Benfica Lisbon - AS Monaco
in last 5 games.
in 9 of last 10 away games.in 23 of last 24 home games.in last 12 games.in 12 of last 13 games.in last 7 away games.in 16 of last 18 AS Monaco away games.
in 8 of last 9 Glenn Nyberg games.
Comparison of Teams Stats
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