Benfica vs Rangers Europa League Match Analysis
In the Europa League round of 16, Benfica will host Rangers at the “Da Luz” stadium in Lisbon.
Match Preview
Benfica had a challenging time in the Europa League group stage, but they secured a spot in the knockout stage with an away win against Salzburg.
In the previous round, they faced Toulouse and won 2-1 in Lisbon.
Roger Schmidt’s team managed to keep a clean sheet in the return leg.
However, they suffered a heavy 0-5 defeat against Porto in their recent away match, allowing Sporting to overtake them in the race for first place.
It is important to mention that before this recent loss, Benfica suffered a defeat against Sporting in the opening match of the Portuguese Cup semifinals, with a final score of 1-2.
Rangers topped their Europa League group, with their only loss coming against Aris in Greece.
They outperformed teams like Sparta Prague and Real Betis.
Due to their group stage victory, Phillip Cleman’s team skipped the first playoff round.
In the Scottish league, Rangers unexpectedly lost 1-2 to Motherwell at home, ending their ten-match winning streak in all competitions.
Currently, they lead Celtic by just two points in the title race.
Prediction: Benfica 2-2 Rangers
Expect a closely contested match with plenty of goal-scoring opportunities for both sides.
After disappointing domestic defeats last weekend, both teams will be eager to get back to winning ways.
Considering Benfica’s strong home form in the Europa League and Rangers’ record in Portugal, we can anticipate an entertaining draw in Lisbon, setting up an exciting second leg.
- Prediction: Draw
- Betting Tip: BTTS & Over 2.5 Goals
Possible Lineups
Benfica: (4-2-2-1-1)
Trubin;
Aursnes, A. Silva, Otamendi, Morato;
Neves, Luis;
Di Maria, R. Silva;
Mario;
Cabral
Rangers: (4-2-3-1)
Butland;
Tavernier, Goldson, Souttar, Barisic;
Lundstram, Raskin;
Wright, Diomande, Lawrence;
Dessers