Benfica vs Boavista Prediction: A Matter Of Maintaining Their Position At The Summit!

Benfica will look to ease the pressure in the standings by consolidating their first-place position by three points when they host Boavista at the Estádio da Luz for the 21st round of the Primeira Liga.

Let's have a look at the latest Portuguese Primeira Liga predictions between Benfica vs Boavista, team news, probable lineups, match facts and up to date betting odds for you to consider!

Benfica

Form: WWWWD

There are no words to adequately describe how impressive the Eagles' form has been this season in the Primeira Liga, stamping their authority as a force to be reckoned with. They clung to their first win of 2023, a 1:0 win over Portimonense at home, which was more than enough to persuade skeptics that they were on the right track.

Little did they know that victory would be just the beginning of a new blossomed chapter in their dominance in the Primeira Liga, which has seen them go six games without losing, recording five wins and a draw. Though they have been impressive in the Primeira Liga, the same cannot be said for their Taca de Portugal hopes, which saw them crash out in the quarterfinals after losing on penalties to Braga (5:4) after a 1:1 draw in regular time.

Their most recent match saw them make the trip to Jan Breydel Stadium to lock horns with Belgian Pro League giants Club Brugge in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, and with no hesitations whatsoever, they recorded a comfortable 2:0 victory. 

With pressure on their shoulders that comes with defending their position at the summit, they haven't quite maintained that much of a distance against a resilient FC Porto side, who are hot on their tails and gradually narrowing down the point gap to just two points. A win will be the only result they'll be looking forward to concluding the day with on home turf, hopefully widening the point gap to five points. They currently hold first place with 53 points.

Team News

Benfica have no injury concerns ahead of this match, as Roger Schmidt will have a fully fit squad to choose from.

Morato will be absent from this match due to suspension.

Probable Starting XI

Formation: 4-3-3

Vlachodimos; Bah, Otamendi, Silva, Grimaldo; Luís, Chiquinho, Aursnes; Neres, Mario, Guedes

Boavista

Form: DLDWD

Failing to be more creative with their approach on home turf against Casa Pia saw them settle for a point as the game ended in a scoreless draw, which also saw Sebastian Perez receive his second yellow card and be sent off in the 65th minute, proving to be their undoing.

Prior to that, they lost 2:1 on the road to Estoril Praia despite taking the lead through Yusupha Njie's goal in the first four minutes, but a straight red card shown to midfielder Ibrahima Camara in the 41st minute meant they were at a numerical disadvantage, which their opponent took advantage of in the second half of the game as they gave up their lead by conceding two goals in the space of 27 minutes.

Os Axadrezados have certainly had a rough time on the road in the Primeira Liga, which has them down in the dumps as they are without a win in their last 6 away games, recording one draw and being swamped by five losses, and in their last 9 away games, they have two wins to their name—a 1:0 victory over Portimonense at the start of the season and a 2:1 victory over FC Arouca. It goes without saying that Petit would want a better and more convincing performance from his team than what they are portraying at the moment.

Sitting in eighth place with 26 points behind them are Vizela, Chaves, and Portimonense, with whom they are level on points, and one wrong step could see them downgraded in the standings, something they'll want to avoid at all costs given their unimpressive 12th place finish in the previous season.

Team News

Boavista will be without Filipe Ferreira, who has been out for four months due to an injury, and will be joined by Vincent Sasso, who also suffered an injury in his most recent match and is doubtful to travel to Lisbon.

Sebastian Perez, who received his second yellow card in a match against Casa Pia, will miss this match to serve his suspension and joining him on the sidelines is Rodrigo Abascal

Probable Starting XI

Formation: 3-4-3

Bracali; Malheiro, Sasso, Abascal; Onyemaechi, Vukotic, Camara, Agra; Perez, Mangas, Njie

Match Facts

• Benfica are on a four-game winning streak in the Primeira Liga.
• Boavista has not won in their last five away games in the Primeira Liga.
• The average number of goals scored in a match between Benfica and Boavista is three.
• When playing at home, Benfica averages 2.59 goals per game, while Boavista averages 1.16 goals per game when playing away.

Head-To-Head

In the last 31 meetings, Benfica have won 17 times, Boavista have won four times, and there have been 10 draws with a goal difference of 60-26 in favour of Benfica.

Expert Betting Tips

With only one loss in their 27 games played, Benfica's 2022–23 Primeira Liga campaign hasn't seen a decline in performance. This impressive record can't be fabricated at the moment, and it will undoubtedly inspire the most confidence in them to easily defeat Petit's team in this match and secure an easy three points.

Roger Schmidt's team is unbeaten in 18 home games against Boavista, and they have won 12 of those games, with the total exceeding 9 of them. This trend should continue here, so we are taking Benfica to win while also equipping them with the total goals to be over 2.5 against a team that has not been convincing in their defensive play.

• W1 & TO 2.5 for 1.72
• Total (Yellow Cards) - Under 5.5 for 1.75
• Corners - Over 9 for 1.61