Club Brugge surprised everyone with a Round-of-16 appearance despite recently switching managers. However, their first meeting with Benfica ended 2-0, in favor of the Portuguese side. We expect the Belgian club to endure another tough night in the second leg. Adding insult to injury is the fact they have to play on the road.

But, we’ve seen enough upsets in this competition to believe that anything can happen. The Belgian outfit has a shot at bringing this one home regardless of the aggregate, but manager Scott Parker needs the best from his squad to successfully pull off the comeback.

Nitrobetting shares the latest news, soccer odds, and special features throughout the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League season. Let’s get a closer look at the upcoming Benfica vs. Club Brugge face-off in this preview.

Benfica vs. Brugge 2023 Champions League Round of 16 Leg 2 Info

Who ya got?#UCL pic.twitter.com/405EJ7bGAn

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) March 1, 2023

• When: Tuesday, March 7 at 3:00 pm ET
• Where: Stamford Bridge, London, UK
• TV: ESPN
• Live Stream: Paramount+
• Soccer Odds: Benfica (-227) / Brugge (+635) / Draw (+377)

READ MORE: Chelsea vs. Borussia Dortmund 2023 Champions League Odds & Preview (Mar. 7)

Why is Benfica a safe bet to win?

The Portuguese team already proved in the opening leg that they are ahead of Club Brugge in terms of attacking efforts. They managed to snatch the 2-0 win in Belgium and enter the second leg with plenty of momentum to spare. David Neres’ late goal in Bruges put them in a comfortable position.

We expect a significant advantage coming from the squad heading into this matchup. More than that, we don’t see the team getting overconfident this time. They have a shot at a quarter-final appearance in the Champions League, which should yield positive reception to the club.

Benfica will feature a lineup similar to their first meeting with Club Brugge. Vlachodimos starts on goal, while his back-four includes Bah, Antonio Silva, Otamendi, and Grimaldo. Players holding the defensive midfield feature the duo of Aursnes and Florentino. Meanwhile, keeping the offensive efforts on point are midfielders Joao Mario, Goncalo Guedes, and Neres, who will deliver opportunities to Goncalo Ramos.

Possible Line-Up

• Vlachodimos
• Otamendi
• Silva
• Grimaldo
• Bah
• Neres
• Chiquinho
• Luis
• Guedes
• Aursnes
• Mario

Benfica’s Last 5

• Loss: 2-0 vs. Vizela
• Win: 3-1 vs. Boavista
• Win: 0-2 vs. Brugge
• Loss: 1-1 vs. Braga
• Win: 3-0 vs. Casa Pia

Why is Brugge a safe bet to win?

The Blau-Zwart head coach believes that he saw enough from his squad in the first leg to pull off a comeback in Lisbon. For this to happen, they need to end a string of four Champions League games without a goal against Benfica, who are on their longest winning stretch in the Champions League. The Primeira Liga unit is riding a three-game winning streak and their first since the 2005-06 campaign.

One of the few saving grace moments for the challengers could be their unpredictable nature. Given that they haven’t faced Benfica for much of their history, an underdog victory fares well for them. It looks like the 2-0 aggregate is too steep for the team. If you concede that many goals before the next stage, it becomes a monumental challenge. But, if the visitors get things in the box at the right moments and connect at the right time, everything is possible.

Club Brugge’s predicted lineup sees Mignolet start between the sticks. The back four incorporates veteran defender Mata, Hendry, Mechele, and Meijer. Odoi and Onyedika, fill in the defensive midfield gaps, while Vanaken and Lang play behind lone striker Yaremchuk.

Possible Line-Up

• Mignolet
• Odoi
• Mechele
• Buchanan
• Meijerv
• Nielsen
• Vanaken
• Onyedika
• Nusa
• Lang
• Yaremchuk

Brugge’s Last 5

• Win: 2-0 vs. Gent
• Draw: 2-2 vs. Cercle Brugge
• Loss: 0-2 vs Benfica
• Draw: 1-1 vs. Union St. Gilloise
• Draw: 0-0 vs. Antwerp

Benfica vs. Brugge Betting Prediction

Although Brugge made its way to the competition’s knockout stages for the first time in club history, manager Carl Hoefkins was sacked just before 2023. This followed their poor run of just a win in their first five games since the new year. The Belgian defending champions dropped down the Pro League table. Now that they take on an outstanding Benfica side on the road, the team needs to take things up a notch to keep the hosts under pressure. We eagerly anticipate a never-say-die attitude from Parker and his lineup.

Meanwhile, all Benfica needs to contain Club Brugge and its seemingly erratic attacking antics. If they can plug defensive inconsistencies and keep errors to a minimum, this should be another worry-free match for the Primeira Liga club.

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