Most soccer handicappers feel Portuguese Liga power Benfica got lucky by drawing Belgium League squad Club Brugge. How lucky? The first leg happens at Jan Breydelstadion in Brugge and the home team is a +336 money line underdog. Will Benfica prove the oddsmakers right? Or will Club Brugge, like they’ve done so far this Champions League Season, surprise the naysayers? See below for soccer odds, analysis, and a free pick for Wednesday’s CL match between Club Brugge and Benfica.

Brugge vs. Benfica 2023 Champions League Round of 16 Leg 1 Info

✈️ #BRUSLB | #UCL pic.twitter.com/RAKZWojQVn

— SL Benfica (@SLBenfica) February 14, 2023

• When: Wednesday, February 15 at 3:00 pm ET
• Where: Jan Breydelstadion, Brugge, Belgium
• TV: TUDN
• Live Stream: Paramount+
• Soccer Odds: Brugge (+350) / Benfica (-120) / Draw (+270)

READ MORE: Borussia Dortmund vs. Chelsea 2023 Champions League Odds & Preview (Feb. 15)

Why is Brugge a safe bet to win?

Club Brugge is no joke. The Belgian League squad beat Bundesliga team Bayer Leverkusen and La Liga power Atletico Madrid to stamp their ticket to the knockout stage.

Brugge beat Atletico 2-0 in a match before forcing a 0-0 draw in the second leg of the 2-leg aggregate. Brugge also dusted Portuguese Liga squad FC Porto 4-0 before falling 0-4 to Porto in the second leg. Brugge has shown they can beat a quality opponent.

Possible Line-Up

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

Brugge’s Last 5

• Draw: 1-1 vs. Union St. Gilloise
• Draw: 0-0 vs. Antwerp
• Win: 1-2 vs Zulte-Waregem
• Draw: 2-2 vs. Royal Charleroi SC
• Draw: 1-1 vs. St. Truidense

Why is Benfica a safe bet to win?

Oddsmakers are giving Benfica a ton of respect. It makes sense. Not only does Benfica play in a much better league, the Portuguese Liga, but they’re dominating opponents like FC Porto, Sporting CP, and Braga in their league.

Benfica fell in their last, but the loss happened due to penalty kicks. Braga is the second best team in the Portuguese Liga this season. So losing to Braga via penalties is no big deal.

Before losing to Braga, Benfica had rolled to 4 straight wins.

Possible Line-Up

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

Benfica’s Last 5

• Loss: 1-1 vs. Braga
• Win: 3-0 vs. Casa Pia
• Win: 0-3 vs. Arouca
• Win: 0-2 vs. Pacos de Ferreira
• Win: 0-3 vs. Santa Clara

Brugge vs. Benfica Betting Prediction

Benfica is the better overall team, but it should be difficult to beat Club Brugge on CB’s pitch. The home team in this has played good enough soccer for a win and 4 draws in their last 5.

That doesn’t come close to impressing as much as Benfica’s recent form. Still, Brugge knows how to frustrate more talented opponents. The way Brugge ended Atletico’s Champions League season with a win and draw was masterful.

Benfica will play well, and it could be good enough for the outright victory. There’s a chance, though, that the favored road squad bounces after such a brutal match versus rival Braga. With the fans behind them, Brugge has a real good shot of nailing down an upset victory.

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