Benfica vs Zenit Prediction and Preview – 16/02/16
Champions League preview – Benfica vs Zenit prediction.
Benfica will be without the experience of Brazilian centre back and club captain Lisao who has been missing since November with a broken arm. Fellow central defender Lisandro Lopez is expected to be fit after missing the last two games with a thigh injury. Midfielders Ljubomir Fejsa and Eduardo Salvio face fitness tests to establish if they can be considered for the match day squad. Konstantinos Mitroglou and Raul Jimenez compete to partner leading scorer Jonas (23 goals in 21 league games) should Rui Vitoria remain true to his preferred 4-4-2 approach.
Zenit central midfielder Viktor Faizulin is out with injury while there are doubts about fellow midfielder Aleksandr Ryazantsev and full back Igor Smolnikov. Coach Andre Villas-Boas has added three players to the squad in readiness for the Champions League knockout phase but Yuri Zhirkov, Aleksandr Kokorin and Mauricio are likely to start from the bench on Tuesday.
Possible Line-ups
Benfica 4-4-2 formation: Cesar; Silvio, Lopez, Jardel, Eliseu; Pizzi, Almeida, Sanches, Gaitan; Jonas, Mitroglou
Zenit 4-2-3-1 formation: Lodygin; Anyukov, Garay, Lombaerts, Criscito; Garcia, Witsel; Hulk, Danny, Shatov; Dzyuba
Statistics
- Benfica have won 9 drawn 0 and lost 1 of their last 10 matches
- Zenit have won 6 drawn 2 and lost 2 of their last 10 matches
- Over the course of their previous 10 matches, Benfica have scored an average of 3.3 goals and conceded an average of 0.7 goals per game
- Over the course of their previous 10 matches, Zenit have scored an average of 2 goals and conceded an average of 1.2 goals per game
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 8 of Benfica’s previous 10 matches
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 6 of Zenit’s previous 10 matches
Prediction
Benfica’s title hopes suffered a setback when losing 2-1 at home to local rivals Porto on Friday night. The defeat ended a 14-game run of 13 wins and 1 draw and leaves Vitoria’s side three points behind leaders Sporting Lisbon. The Portuguese side finished runner up in Champions League Group C with 3 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats. Their place in the knockout phase was already assured when Atletico Madrid avenged the 2-1 defeat in Spain by the same score in Lisbon.
Due to the long winter break in Russia, Zenit have not played a competitive game since losing 2-1 at home to Gent in the final Group H match last December. Zenit had won all five previous games to finish top of the group which also included Valencia and Lyon. The sides met in the group stage of last season’s Champions League when Zenit won both fixtures, 2-0 at Estadio Da Luz in September and 1-0 in St Petersburg ten weeks later.
Just as Zenit had the fitness edge in Lisbon at the start of last season’s tournament, Benfica could prove to be sharper when the sides meet again on Tuesday.
Tips
Benfica to win at 59/50 with Marathonbet
Over 2.5 goals at 7/5 with Betfair Sportsbook
Benfica to win 2-1 at 19/2 with BetVictor
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