Will Bayern’s record remain flawless?
After just two matches, FC Bayern has secured its place in the round of 16 of the Club World Cup in the USA. Thanks to two wins, the Munich team is at the top of the table in its pool and wants to secure the group victory on Tuesday evening. Or will it? In fact, everything currently points to the winner of Group C facing former Champions League winner Chelsea in the round of 16. If they finish second, they will face Brazilian opponents Flamengo, who have already secured top spot in Group D. Will the potential “choose your opponent” game also influence the Benfica Lisbon vs. Bayern tip on the last matchday of the preliminary round?
This is certainly contradicted by the fact that Kompany’s team naturally wants to preserve the integrity of the competition. Especially considering that the Portuguese still have everything to play for. Depending on how high Boca Juniors win in their parallel match against Auckland City, Benfica could face a disappointing exit from the group stage if they lose to the German record champions. If the prediction of a point for the “Àguias” in the Benfica Lisbon vs. Bayern match proves correct, however, the tournament will definitely continue for them in the knockout phase.
Because even the most popular bookmakers are aware of the situation and are expecting a major rotation in the Bundesliga club’s line-up, the odds for a win by the favorites are even slightly higher than expected ahead of the match between Benfica Lisbon and Bayern. At the top, odds of 1.95 are being offered for an FCB victory.
Benfica Lisbon – Statistics & current form
With four points after two matchdays, Benfica Lisbon has a good chance of reaching the round of 16 in this club world championship. A draw on Tuesday evening would be enough for the Portuguese side to finish ahead of Boca Juniors in the final standings. However, if they lose the match against FC Bayern, the goal difference will come into play due to the 2-2 draw against the Argentine representatives. Here, “Os Encarnados” can throw a 6-0 win against Auckland City into the ring. However, if Boca Juniors also celebrate a resounding victory against the New Zealand underdogs, a defeat would mean an early knockout for Benfica.
An early exit from this intercontinental tournament could be the last straw for the Portuguese capital. At the latest after losing the cup final against Sporting Lisbon and finishing second behind their hated arch-rivals, the work of coach Bruno Lage is now being viewed with skepticism.
The experienced coach allowed himself another point of attack in the second group game when he got into a spat with the substituted Turkish player Kökcu, resulting in verbal abuse on both sides. The 49-year-old appears to be on the ropes, thin-skinned, and tense. These are not good conditions for predicting an upset between Benfica Lisbon and Bayern. Anyone who disagrees will be rewarded with almost five times their stake for a victory for the Scarlet Reds in the Interwetten app.
Angel di Maria still calls the shots in Benfica’s offense
In terms of pure quality, the Eagles should not be underestimated. Although they failed to win the important direct duels against Sporting towards the end of the season, “O Glorioso” underlined in the Champions League, among other places, that they are among the top 20 in Europe. After a successful league campaign, including a playoff victory against Monaco, only FC Barcelona proved too strong in the round of 16.
The offense in particular is strong and features some prominent players. Veteran Angel di Maria stood out on the first two matchdays. In the 2-2 draw against Boca Juniors, the Argentine World Cup winner converted the important penalty to pull his team back into the game. In the aforementioned 6-0 win against Auckland City, Di Maria even scored two goals and earned top marks. Curiously, both goals came from penalties. In addition to the experienced winger, Pavlidis, who was trained in Germany, and Turkish international Aktürkoglu are also players who can make the difference.
In light of this and the fact that Lage’s team will have to take more risks at some point, depending on how the parallel match progresses, the betting odds for over goals between Benfica Lisbon and Bayern are becoming increasingly interesting. A bet on both teams scoring at Winamax at 1.66 is also worth considering. You can get up to $110 in free bets with the Winamax bonus.
Predicted line-up:
Trubin – Carreras, Otamendi, Silva, Barreiro – Kökcu, Aursnes – Aktürkoglu, Prestianni, Di Maria – Pavlidis
Bayern – Statistics & current form
The narrow 2-1 win against Boca Juniors on the second matchday was briefly overshadowed by the injury to Jamal Musiala, who had to be substituted early due to a calf problem. However, the medical department has since given the all-clear. The German international has not suffered a structural injury. He may even be available for the third group game.
However, it is highly unlikely that Vincent Kompany will take such an unpredictable risk, especially as Munich are already safely through to the last 16 and will certainly make a few changes to their starting line-up. The strain of traveling combined with the high level of exertion in extreme heat is demanding everything from the FCB pros, so it should be a welcome opportunity for the Belgian coach to rest one or two players. With the round of 16 in mind, such rotation is virtually unavoidable, especially given that Chelsea or Flamengo are waiting there as very strong opponents.
FC Bayern is not without weaknesses and shortcomings
Regardless of who takes to the pitch at Bank of America Stadium on Tuesday evening, the first two group games have provided some insights. Jonathan Tah still has to get used to the extremely high defensive line at Säbener Straße, the left side of the defense remains a weak point in the absence of the injured Davies, and the center is currently unable to maintain control of the game for 90 minutes. This was particularly evident in the second half against Boca Juniors.
On a positive note, however, Kane, Olise, and Coman all performed well. While the former two have been reliable throughout the season, Coman is looking fit and lively, which hasn’t been the case for a long time. Following the departures of Tel and Sané, Bayern are still on the lookout for a quality player for their attack. Perhaps one of the youngsters, such as Lennart Karl, will catch the eye on Tuesday evening. It is quite possible that Kompany will throw a few talents into the deep end and hope for some carefree performances.
As mentioned several times, it is impossible to predict what the Munich starting line-up will look like, and the level of motivation in this relatively insignificant third group game could also have a negative impact, so I am not keen to bet on the German record champions’ success against Benfica Lisbon. Instead, my argument swings toward a high-scoring game.
Predicted line-up:
Urbig – Aznou, Upamecano, Stanisic, Boey – Kimmich, Pavlovic – Sané, Müller, Karl – Kane
Benfica Lisbon – Bayern Head-to-head record / H2H record
This is the second time this season that the two teams have faced each other in a competitive match. Bayern won the first encounter 1-0 in early November in the Champions League group stage. This continued what has been a tragic run for the Portuguese side against the German record champions. Benfica has failed to win any of the 13 previous direct encounters. Instead, the record stands at ten wins and three draws in favor of Munich, who have scored at least four goals against the Eagles from Lisbon in three of their last four matches.
Benfica Lisbon – Bayern Tip
The preliminary round in Group C comes to an end with a European clash. While Bayern only need to secure top spot in the group on Tuesday evening, Benfica are still fighting for qualification. One point would be enough for the Portuguese side. If they lose, they will have to look to the parallel match between Boca Juniors and Auckland City. Incidentally, because FCB could avoid Chelsea in the round of 16 as group runners-up and Kompany’s team is generally expected to rotate to manage fatigue, I don’t see any value in the odds on the reigning German champions winning.
I’m avoiding the three-way risk and instead leaning towards a bet that a few goals will be scored during the game. Both teams’ strengths lie in their offense, which they have impressively demonstrated with twelve and eight goals in two games, respectively. For the Benfica Lisbon vs. Bayern tip on over 2.5, odds of 1.68 are offered.
