Arsenal v Benfica Betting Tips & Predictions - bettingexpert
Arsenal v Benfica Recent Form
Arsenal haven’t had the best time of it in recent weeks. Their excellent run of form in January came to a halt with three defeats in five. A win over Leeds and the draw with Benfica have stopped the rot. The Portuguese side have been on a similar run. Their recent results have been a little inconsistent with several wins but some dropped points against the bigger sides in Portugal.
Arsenal v Benfica Recent Matchups
The first leg was the first meeting between these sides for 30 years. Benfica won that tie over two legs but it was 1-1 when the sides met in the first leg. The Portuguese side took the lead from the penalty spot but the Gunners soon hit back. Cedric Soares crossed for Bukayo Saka to equalise within just a couple of minutes.
Arsenal v Benfica Stats & Analysis
Arsenal will hope that the goals start flowing in the second leg. The Gunners had no problem finding the back of the net in the group stages as they finished with the best overall record and the second-highest goal tally. They bagged 20 in the group stages but managed just one against the Portuguese side.
But Mikel Arteta and Arsenal will take some hope from the club’s home record in the Europa League. This match won’t be played at the Emirates Stadium but the Gunners have an outstanding Europa League record while classified as the home team. Arsenal have won 10 of their last 12 and scored an average of 2.67 goals per match.
But this is a familiar position for Mikel Arteta and the Gunners. Arsenal took a slender lead in the first leg of their round of 32 match last season. They lost that second-leg match to Olympiacos after extra time and will be eager to avoid a repeat here. The Gunners are six places from the Champions League qualification spots in the Premier League. This competition is probably their best chance of mixing with Europe’s elite next season.
They’ll take some confidence from their opponents’ poor away record in Europe. Regardless of whether they’re playing in the Europa League or the Champions League, Benfica struggle on the road in European competitions. The Portuguese side have won just two of their last 13 away European matches. The majority of them have been hugely entertaining matches with an average of 3.46 total match goals in those 13 games.
Arsenal v Benfica Bets
Arsenal are the favourites to secure the win in 90 minutes that would seal their place in the next round of the competition. The Gunners are 10/11 to win this match and go one step closer to the title. A draw in 90 minutes is 11/4 and Benfica are available at 7/2. It’s 6/1 for this match to finish 1-1 in 90 minutes that would lead to extra time.
Arsenal’s Europa League home record is impressive and that may well continue here. They’ve won a large portion of their European matches without conceding a goal. The Gunners are 9/4 to win this match to nil which seems like a good bet.
If the first leg is anything to go by then we may see some goals in this match. Arsenal created chances that went untaken and could have scored far more than the one goal. Benfica will also play with a little more attacking intent as they need to score to progress. It is 10/11 for over 2.5 total match goals or 12/5 for over 3.5.
If the goals start flying in then the Gunners will hope to get the majority of them. Mikel Arteta’s men have shown their goalscoring capabilities in recent weeks. They have put at least three goals past their opponents in four matches this year. The Gunners are 12/5 to win with a European handicap of 0-1 and are way out at 7/1 to win with a handicap of 0-2. Both seem like good punts.
It may be worth backing more goals after the break. Arsenal and Benfica have had a combined total of 20 first-half goals in the Europa League this season. That figure goes up to 36 when looking just at the second halves of their games. It’s 11/10 for the second half to have more goals than the first.
