Manchester United didn’t win pretty, but they won 1-0 at Benfica in the previous Champions League matchday. The two will meet in Manchester on Halloween in the next matchday as Benfica looks for their first points of the group stage, while United can more or less book their trip to the knockout stage with a victory.
What To Know About Benfica
Benfica didn’t have a shot on target in their home loss to United, and goalkeeper Mile Slivar made a big mistake on Marcus Rashford’s free kick as he was well out of position and couldn’t get back in time to keep the ball out. The biggest question, however, is why was Slivar even out there? He is 18 years old and Benfica has Bruno Varela and Julio Cesar, and while the latter was injured, it didn’t appear to be that serious as he was on the bench and Varela, who has played the most games of any Benfica keeper, wasn’t even named to the bench. So why put a kid in that position? It was a very strange decision to say the least and United took advantage of it. Benfica, who is third in the Portuguese SuperLiga right now, will visit Des Av and host Feirense in the league before this game.
What To Know About Manchester United
That being said, United needed a mistake to win this game as their attacking threat was very dull. Henrikh Mkhitaryan looked out of his element for the second game in a row, as did Romelo Lukaku. Rashford’s direct running troubled Benfica, as did the same by his replacement, Anthony Martial. However, an injury to Rashford was a blow for United, who are already without Paul Pogba, Marouane Felliani, Eric Bailly and Michael Carrick, among others, although Marcos Rojo might be back for this game. It is a good thing that United has depth because it is being tested right now, although they should still have enough to win this game at home if everyone plays up to their potential. United will visit Huddersfield Town and Swansea City in the Premier League and the League Cup, respectively, and they’ll also have a big home game against Tottenham in the league before Benfica comes to town.
Outlook
Manchester United are the home favorites at -334, with Benfica rated at +900 and a draw comes in at +400. United has won seven and drawn two of their 10 meetings with Benfica, whose lone win came at home in the group stage of the 2005-06 Champions League. Benfica never looked like winning at home, so it is tough to say they can even get a point on the road, and if United has a few good results in a row heading into this match, it could get ugly. United’s best chance is to let a healthy Rashford and Martial go on either side of Lukaku and use their speed to create chances, and Lukaku will be better at home than he is on the road. United should win this match.
Champions League Betting Pick: United
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