Competition: Primeira Liga
Market: Benfica half-time/full-time
Odds: 8/11 @ 888sport
Hoping to widen their buffer at the top of the Primeira Liga table on Thursday night, Benfica will make the trip to Pacos Ferreira.
Starting with the hosts, while Pacos Ferreira might have cruised their way to Primeira Liga safety last season, it appears that Cesar Peixoto’s men are free-falling their way out of Portugal’s top-flight this time around. Last seen over the weekend getting hit with a lively 2-1 loss at home against Braga, the Beavers sit rock-bottom of the table and are enduring a glaring domestic nightmare. Remarkably picking up just six points from any of their 17 Primeira Liga battles so far this season, the Porto-based outfit are already 12 points adrift of finding a route out of the drop zone. With just a single top-flight victory to their name, Pacos Ferreira will also be worried by a woeful record against Thursday’s guests. In fact, Peixoto’s downbeat squad have remarkably lost each of their last 11 straight meetings against the Portuguese heavyweights.
As for the visitors, while Benfica might have been disappointed after settling for a bronze medal finish last season, Roger Schmidt’s side are firing on all cylinders this time around. Last seen putting in another rampant display as they cruised their way to a 3-0 romp away at Santa Clara, the Eagles find themselves holding a four-point buffer at the top of the Primeira Liga table. Stunning almost everyone across Europe last year as they booked their spot in the knockout stage of this season’s Champions League, Benfica will be smelling a golden chance to lay down another title marker in midweek. Suffering just a single top-flight defeat this season and gaining a string of praise, the Reds will also be boosted by that rampant record against Thursday’s hosts. Given the huge gulf in class, it is hard to see anything other than a routine away victory here.
Bet: Benfica half-time/full-time against Pacos Ferreira 8/11 for Thursday’s Primeira Liga matchup @ 888sport
