Boca Juniors vs Benfica Prediction: Can Portuguese giants bounce back?

Having watched Bayern Munich trounce Auckland City 10-0, fellow Group C opponents Boca Juniors and Benfica know that they are probably already battling it out for second place. It makes their meeting, at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium (23:00 BST, Channel 5), a crucial one for both outfits. 

Below you can find my Boca Juniors vs Benfica predictions featuring team news and betting tips. 

Team News

Unfortunately for Boca, their key talisman Edinson Cavani will miss this one through injury and he is their headline absentee. With the Uruguayan out, Miguel Merentiel will likely lead the line and he’s scored six goals in the Argentine Primera Division this term. 

Ayrton Costa should play having been granted a temporary visa, while Marco Pellegrino has joined having signed on loan from AC Milan. He is in competition with Marcos Rojo and Rodrigo Battaglia for a starting spot at the back, with the former Manchester United defender a popular figure in his homeland. 

Boca Juniors Club World Cup Preview

Benfica boss Bruno Lage will once again rely upon striker Vangelis Pavlidis for goals, as he hit 19 in the Primeira Liga this term. Only Viktor Gyokeres got more in Portugal this season and Pavlidis was helped by creator-in-chief Orkun Kokcu. He created more chances than any other player in Portugal's top flight (76), and will play in that attacking midfield role. 

There’s also the storyline that sees Angel Di Maria and Nicolas Otamendi face their compatriots, and they will be well up for the fight at this Club World Cup. Di Maria is now 37 and no longer at the peak of his powers, but his quality is undeniable. 

Boca Juniors vs Benfica Odds

Boca Juniors are the outsiders for this meeting, priced up at 5/1 to get maximum points in their opener. Meanwhile, Benfica are the 8/13 favourites giving them an implied win probability of 62%, while a draw is available at 3/1.

Over 2.5 goals is 10/11, BTTS is 1/1 and Pavlidis is the favourite to score first at 7/2. There’s also plenty of Bet Builders and Price Boosts for this match that you can find by clicking on the link above. 

Benfica to win to nil @ 6/4

There are two ways of looking at Benfica as we approach this Club World Cup. You could take the view that they will still be reeling after a disastrous end to the season saw them lose both the league title and the Taca de Portugal to Sporting CP in heartbreaking fashion. Or, you could look at them as an elite outfit over the course of the campaign that just came up short in key moments.

I’m going with the latter for this group stage, and there is certainly a lot to like about the Eagles. They’ve got a talented goalscorer in the form of Pavlidis, a decent creator in Kokcu and plenty of experience in Otamendi and Di Maria. 

Benfica Club World Cup Preview

They won 25 out of 34 in the league this term, only conceding 28 goals in the process, so I’m going to back them to keep another clean sheet on their way to victory in Miami. Boca have failed to score in their last two outings, and only scored twice in their last four - with the loss of Cavani clearly impacting them at the top end of the pitch, and I can’t see that changing against top European opposition. 

Price Boost - Vangelis Pavlidis to score anytime @ 6/4

Benfica’s top goalscorer Pavlidis has been boosted to 6/4 to score anytime by Betfred, so I’m going to add that to my selections. With 19 goals in the Primeira Liga and seven goals in 12 Uefa Champions League appearances, there is no doubt that he is a wonderful forward, with plenty of strengths to his game. 

Twenty nine goals in 53 this term is impressive, which is why I’m selecting him to get back to goalscoring ways against Boca. He should be able to run this defence ragged in Miami. 

Offers

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