The Matchday 6 fixture of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League between Benfica (Portugal) and Bologna (Italy) will take place on December 11 at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon. Benfica vs. Bologna: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Radu Petrescu (Romania)
Matches – 6 (International matches, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 26;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.3;
Red cards shown – 0;
Average fouls per match – 22;
Penalties – 33%.
Predicted lineups for Benfica vs. Bologna
Benfica (4-5-1): Anatoliy Trubin – Alexander Bah, Antonio Silva, Nicolas Otamendi, Alvaro Carreras – Kerem Akturkoglu, Florentino, Angel Di Maria, Fredrik Aursnes, Orkun Kökçü – Vangelis Pavlidis.
Bologna (4-3-3): Lukasz Skorupski – Lorenzo De Silvestri, Sam Beukema, John Lucumi, Juan Miranda – Remo Freuler, Nikola Moro, Jens Odgaard – Dan Ndoye, Santiago Castro, Benja Dominguez.
Benfica
Bruno Lage's side were victorious in their last match against Monaco away (3-2). As a result, Benfica ended a two-match losing streak in the Champions League and secured their third win in the group stage. However, the team has failed to keep a clean sheet in 13 of their last 14 matches in this European competition. In the standings, the Portuguese have nine points and are in 14th place.
Forward Tiago Gouveia is out due to injury.
- The team has not won in regular time in 5 of their last 6 home matches in the Champions League (1 draw, 4 losses).
- The club has conceded in 8 of their last 9 home games in this European competition.
- Both teams scored in 6 of Benfica's last 8 matches in the Champions League.
Bologna
In the last round, Vincenzo Italiano's side lost at home to Lille with a score of 1-2. As a result, Bologna suffered their fourth consecutive defeat in the Champions League, although they scored for the first time in the group stage. Nevertheless, the team remains the worst in terms of goals scored in this season's Champions League. In the standings, the Italians have only one point, placing them in 33rd position.
Defender Charalampos Lykogiannis, midfielder Michel Aebischer, and forward Riccardo Orsolini are out due to injuries.
- The club has not won in their last five Champions League matches (1 draw, 4 losses).
- No more than two goals have been scored in 4 of Bologna's last 5 matches in this European competition.
- The Italians have conceded in their last four matches in the Champions League.
Benfica vs. Bologna: Match Prediction
In recent Champions League campaigns, the Portuguese have not consistently performed well in attack at home. In their last six home matches in this European competition, Benfica players have only surpassed the one-goal mark twice, failing to score in three of these games.
In the match against Bologna, Bruno Lage's side will once again face challenges in creating opportunities. The Italians prefer a defensive approach and do not allow their opponents to create many chances: Bologna has not conceded more than two goals in any of their matches in the current Champions League campaign. However, their attacking performance is quite poor, with only one goal scored in the group stage.
I think the Italians will once again aim to play as securely as possible in defense, and we will see another low-scoring match. My prediction: Total under 3 goals