Benfica is having a solid season, sitting in 14th place with three wins and two losses. Their most recent success came two weeks ago when they triumphed 3-2 over Monaco, recovering from back-to-back defeats in the third and fourth rounds.
The Lisbon club is in a good position for qualification, sitting five points ahead of the 25th-placed team, which is the first to be eliminated.
With three matches remaining, Benfica is aiming to break into the top 8, which is just one point away, to secure a direct spot in the Champions League round of 16. Domestically, they are 3rd in the league, trailing Sporting and Porto. Since their victory in Monaco, they have played Arouca and hosted Guimarães.
On the other hand, Bologna’s hopes for Champions League qualification have become increasingly difficult. After a goalless draw against Shakhtar on September 18, the team suffered four consecutive losses.
They are currently in 33rd place, five points behind the 24th spot, which would grant them a playoff ticket. The team is hoping for perfect results in the remaining three matches, although this may not be enough if other competitors perform well.
Bologna scored their first goal of the competition in their 5th matchday loss to Lille, going down 2-1. In Serie A, they improved their standings before the November break, now sitting in 8th place ahead of matches against Venice and Juventus.
For Benfica, Sanches, who is on loan from PSG and has had frequent injury issues, is expected to miss the match once again, just like in Monaco.
It remains unclear whether German full-back Beste and rarely-used attackers Prestianni and Gouveia will recover in time. While there are no suspensions, Carreras and Aursnes are at risk of being suspended if they receive yellow cards in the upcoming match.
Aktürkoglu, who is Benfica’s top scorer in the Champions League with three goals, did not score in Monaco, but Di Maria, with nine goals and five assists in all competitions, provided two assists.
Bologna will continue to be without midfielder Aebischer, who has been sidelined for two months, and Moroccan winger El Azzouzi, who has not yet played this season. Striker Cambiaghi, who was injured in August, is also unavailable. Swedish forward Karlsson, who has scored in Serie A but is often a substitute, is doubtful after missing the previous match against Lille.
Bologna’s only goal in the competition came from central defender Lucumi. Offensive players Orsolini, Dallinga, and Ndoye will be looking to score, with Orsolini having netted five times in Serie A, while Dallinga and Ndoye are still searching for their first goals of the season.
Prediction
Bologna’s away games in the Champions League have generally lacked excitement, with one of the teams failing to score in 14 of their last 19 matches. Similarly, Benfica’s home games at this level often feature only one team scoring, with both teams on target in just two of their last nine matches. A similar outcome is likely.
Prediction: Benfica 2-0 Bologna.
