The group stage of the Champions League starts this Tuesday. In the Group A, we’re guaranteed to see a lot of excitement from the very start! Benfica will try to break the super-tough defense of CSKA. In the other duel, Basel will try their best not to get humiliated at the Old Trafford!
At Estadio da Luz, Benfica looks unbeatable. CSKA players know that, which is why their focus will be defense, not attack. The same case is with Basel, who are praying not to get thrashed by the mighty Manchester United. Whatever happens, one thing is certain – it’s gonna be fun watching these games!
Benfica vs. CSKA Moscow
Three-Way: 1: Benfica -128; X: +295 Draw; 2: CSKA Moscow +517
Spread -0.5: Benfica -143; CSKA Moscow +137
Total +2.5: Over +125; Under -130
BENFICA
The most decorated Portuguese club starts this season’s Champions League with a match at their stadium, Estadio da Luz. This is the place where Benfica has always been great, which is not a surprise given the fact that they always have a massive support from the stands when playing on their turf. In fact, Benfica has a higher percentage of supporters in its own country than any other European club.
If you take a look at their home statistics, you will see that Benfica are without a defeat since December last year (not counting friendlies, of course). Actually, the last defeat at home, Benfica suffered in a Champions League clash with Napoli. That game ended 2:1 in favor of the Italian side.
Things have changed quite a lot since then. Benfica has sold a few players who were crucial for their success in the 2016/2017 season. For example, they sold the goalkeeper, Ederson Moraes, to Manchester City for €40M. Benfica also got a lot of money on the transfer of Victor Lindelof, a central defender who joined Manchester United this summer for € 35M. The same amount was given to Benfica by Barcelona for the transfer of right-back Nelson Semedo.
Still, it seems that these departures haven’t affected Benfica the slightest. Actually, this team has been doing more than well in the 2017/2018 season of the Portuguese Primeira. After 5 rounds, they’re on the 2nd spot with 4 wins and only 1 draw. They owe their success mostly to the brilliant form of their key striker, Jonas, who has scored 6 goals already.
Other players that deserve praise for their performances in the new season include Pizzi, Eduardo Salvio, and Haris Seferovic, who joined the club this summer on a free transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt. The 25-year-old striker has fit in the squad very well, scoring 3 goals in just 5 matches.
The best thing is that there aren’t too many injury concerns in Benfica’s locker room. All players apart from Fejsa seem 100% fit and ready for the game. Obviously, the home side has the manpower to win all three points on Tuesday, but not everything is in their hands. Benfica is the favorite in this match, but perhaps CSKA can cause an upset?
CSKA MOSCOW
CSKA has already played 9 rounds of the Russian Premier League, meaning that their players are in a nice form. They have been doing fairly well, winning 5 league games so far. Still, in the last couple of weeks, their attack hasn’t been playing at the top level. CSKA have scored only 1 goal in the last three rounds of the Premier League.
To be fair, CSKA’s biggest strength hasn’t been their attack, but their defense. Take a look at the Champions League qualifiers they played this summer, against Young Boys and AEK Athens. They managed to win all games of the CL qualifications, without allowing a single goal!
They have a lot of talent at the back, starting with their goalie, Igor Akinfeev. The goalkeeper has been in the club his whole career, but he definitely had the quality to play for much stronger sides than CSKA. The same goes for the brothers Berezoutski and Sergei Ignashevich, all of whom are considered club’s legends.
When it comes to the attack, the things aren’t that impressive. The most lethal CSKA attacker this season has been Vitinho, a Brazilian forward. He has scored 2 goals so far, same as midfielders Natcho and Golovin, as well as full back Shchennikov.
All considered, it seems that CSKA doesn’t have what it takes to outscore Benfica on Tuesday. Still, they definitely have the quality to keep their net safe. Will they be able to keep a clean sheet in front of more than 60 thousand Benfica fans?
Benfica vs. CSKA Moscow – Match Prediction
Benfica is clearly a favorite in this game. I do believe they will grab all three points on Tuesday, but I doubt it’s going to be easy. Actually, I don’t think they’ll be able to beat CSKA’s goalkeeper too many times. That’s why my pick is going to be Under 2.5 goals.
MY PICK: Under 2.5 goals (-130)
Manchester United vs. Basel
Three-Way: 1: Manchester United -370; X: +730 Draw; 2: Basel +2025
Spread -2: Manchester United +102; Basel -103
Total +3: Over -103; Under -101
MANCHESTER UNITED
This season, Man United is one of the biggest favorites for winning not only the English Premier League but Champions League as well. That shouldn’t surprise you, given the fact that this side spent over 160 million Euro on transfers this summer! Not to mention that they already had a superb team to start with.
The Red Devils have so much talent in their locker room that it seems no one can beat them at the moment. They’ve been sensational in the EPL so far, winning 4 matches before playing a draw this Saturday with Stoke. The best thing is that their success came as a result of team effort – each player in this team has been playing at the top level!
Still, there are a few players that deserve a special praise. Romelu Lukaku is definitely one of them. He’s been one of the best players in the Premier League this season. In fact, Lukaku is the top scorer in the league at the moment. Paul Pogba has also been great, same as Mkhitaryan and Matic.
Another good news for Man United fans is that there aren’t many injured players in this team. Ibrahimovic, Shaw, Rojo, and Young, have been out of the squad for a long time, but at this point, there is no news about additional injury problems.
BASEL
The Swiss side has been a regular participant in the Champions League, although they can’t be too proud of their performances. In fact, Basel is without a win in the group phase of the Champions League since 2014, when they beat Ludogorets 4:0.
Last season, Basel managed to win only 2 points in the group stage, with the goal difference of 3:12. They’re hoping that they’ll do better this year, although it won’t be easy. This team did bring a couple of quality players during the latest transfer window, most notably Ricky van Wolfswinkel, but they are still the biggest underdog in the Group A.
What gives hope to Basel fans is that their side has been playing well in the Swiss Super League. They have been especially good when it comes to scoring, with van Wolfswinkel being their most prolific scorer at the moment.
Another thing that raises the hopes of Basel fans is the fact that they’re injury-free ahead of the clash with Manchester United. Still, even with their best 11, the Swiss side does not seem capable of getting anything out of that match.
Manchester United vs. Basel – Match Preview
For me, there is no doubt that Man United will win this game. Unfortunately, bookies know this too, which is why the odds on the home team are very low. That’s why a more attractive option seems betting on the Red Devils to win at the Halftime and the end of the game.
MY PICK: Manchester United HT/FT win (-143)
