Club Brugge aim to take down high-flying Benfica in the UCL round of 16 first leg
Club Brugge vs SL Benfica - 15/02/2023
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Belgium’s Club Brugge surprised fans in the Champions League group stage, finishing second and qualifying for the round of 16 for the first time.
On Wednesday, the Black and Blue will host Portugal’s Benfica in the first leg of their round of 16 tie in the Champions League. Benfica go into the knockout stages after finishing top of Group H ahead of Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.
Benfica have lost just one of their 37 matches this season under first-year coach Roger Schmidt. The Eagles are one of the most underrated teams in the round of 16 of the Champions League and could cause all sorts of problems for more fancied teams in the tournament.
Wednesday’s game will be the first meeting in the Champions League between Brugge and Benfica. Club Brugge did face Portugal’s FC Porto in the group stage, winning 4-0 away and losing 4-0 at home.
The Belgians went through the group stage with manager Carl Hoefkens. The former Club Brugge player was sacked in late December due to poor domestic results after six months in charge. Brugge hired former Fulham and Bournemouth manager Scott Parker in his place.
Parker has struggled to get wins, as just one of the team’s last seven matches ended in victory. However, five of those seven games ended as draws.
Benfica are unbeaten in eight straight games in all competitions. The Eagles are coming off a weekend Portuguese Cup 1-1 draw with Braga. The stalemate ended a four-game win streak for Schmidt’s team.
Schmidt has just one player on the injury list ahead of the match on Wednesday. Striker Goncalo Ramos, who rose to the forefront at the World Cup, is nursing a muscle injury and is a doubt to make the squad.
Ramos has just one goal in the Champions League this season. Former West Ham and Inter Milan player Joao Mario leads the team with 16 goals this term.
Parker could be without the duo of Andreas Skov Olsen and Ferran Jutgla due to hip and back injuries, respectively. Both players are doubts to make the squad, leaving Parker with two fewer forwards to pick from.
Club Brugge are led in goals this season by Jutgla with 10, while Olsen has eight. The duo will be big a miss if they cannot play.
Brugge are picking up plenty of draws under Parker and could hold Benfica to a stalemate at the Jan Breydal Stadion in Brugge. The Eagles are coming off a weekend 1-1 draw in the Portuguese Cup and may struggle to find a winner.
Brugge and Benfica should finish in a 2-2 draw with neither side getting the upper hand in the first leg.
Home team
Away team
Pred
Correct score
Avg. goals
Weather conditions
Coef.
Score
Live
coef.
UCL
214039
X
2 - 2
2.67
9°
3.75
4.20
3.75
1.85
no
no
no
0 - 2(0 - 0)
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