Football Bet of the Day: Back Benfica to continue fine form

There are a number of mouthwatering Champions League qualifying ties taking place on Wednesday and while Feyenoord’s clash with Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce promises to be a thriller, it is Benfica’s trip to Nice which catches the eye most. The Portuguese outfit impressed at the Club World Cup in the summer and will be keen to rub shoulders with the European elite again after making the last 16 of that competition. 

They missed out on the Portuguese title by just two points and will fancy their chances against Nice, who finished fourth in Ligue 1 and had a terrible time of things in Europe last season. Wednesday’s match being played at their Allianz Riviera home may not even be enough to prevent Nice from falling behind in this tie before next week’s trip to Lisbon. Below you can find my Football Bet of the Day.

After being narrowly pipped to the title last term, Benfica will have glory on their minds this time around and, assuming they will be looking to battle on all fronts, they have already made strides towards that goal, beating Sporting 1-0 in the Portuguese Super Cup last Thursday. 

That success should have come as no surprise given their immense performances in the US this summer, where they beat Bayern Munich in the group stage and took eventual winners Chelsea to extra-time in the last 16. 

Nice vs Benfica Odds

In fact, the Eagles have been continuously excellent since reappointing Bruno Lage in September. The Portuguese has picked up exactly where he left off, winning 39 and losing just 10 of the 57 games in his second spell after boasting a 67 per cent win rate in his first. 

Angel Di Maria top-scored for Benfica at the Club World Cup and his experience will be missed but smart arrivals like Franjo Ivanovic and Richard Rios mean they are still just as strong going into this season. 

Today's Football Fixtures

Nice, meanwhile, have lost plenty of key men. Goalkeeper Marcin Bulka and 11-goal forward Gaeten Laborde have departed for Saudi Arabia while loanees Baptiste Santamaria and Youssuoufa Moukoko have not returned for the new season. 

Wednesday’s hosts are looking a bit light with only unproven players like Kojo Peprah Oppong and Isak Jansson through the door, leaving them vulnerable against Benfica, who have gone 18 games without suffering a defeat in 90 minutes. 

Franck Haise’s side, in contrast, won only four of their final 10 Ligue 1 games of last season, losing four times in that miserable run. And perhaps even more worrying for Nice ahead of a clash with an in-form Benfica is their side’s woeful Europa League showing last term. 

Nice failed to win any of their eight games in the league phase last season, drawing three times and losing to the likes of Elfsborg and Ferencvaros. That bodes badly for Wednesday’s visit from momentum-backed Benfica and the Eagles should spread their wings on the Riviera. 

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