Match for the 3rd round of the FIFA Club World Cup group stage, at the Bank of America Stadium, in Charlotte.
What We Know
- The two teams faced each other in the League Phase of the Champions League last November, with Bayern earning a 1-0 home victory.
- Bayern are unbeaten in their last seven duels against Benfica, winning 6 and drawing 1.
- Four of Bayern's last six games ended with over 2.5 goals.
Betting Tip Benfica - Bayern Munich
Benfica could use both a win and a draw to qualify for the next stage alongside Bayern, no matter what happens in the game between Boca Juniors and Auckland City. The Bavarians have clinched their advancement, and they would not object to a draw. It is not unlikely for them to prefer a second-place finish - in that scenario, they might face Flamengo instead of Chelsea.
- Betting tip: Benfica to win or draw
- Odds: 1.80 (at the time of writing)
- Stake: 3
Benfica
Benfica took care of business against Auckland City, defeating the New Zealanders comfortably (6-0). They were nowhere near Benfica’s level (having lost 10-0 to Benfica in the premiere), and the Portuguese took advantage.
Bruno Lange’s team took a while to get going, scoring their first goal of the game with a Di Maria penalty in the first half stoppage time. The second half was delayed because of poor weather, but when it started, Benfica were dominant. They scored five times with Pavlidis, Sanches, and Di Maria scoring once, and Barreiro added two more.
The Eagles are now up to four points and second place in the group, 2 behind first-place Bayern, and 3 above third-place Boca Juniors. If Benfica manage to avoid defeat against the Bavarians, they will qualify for the next stage. If they are defeated, they will need to maintain a goal differential lead over the Argentinians.
Benfica are +6 on goal difference while Boca are at -1, but the Argentinian team will be facing the weakest team of the group and will aim to score as many goals as possible.
Bayern
Bayern struggled against Boca Juniors but were eventually able to overcome them, 2 goals to 1. Vincent Kompany’s team punched their ticket for the next stage of the competition by reaching 6 total points in the group stage.
In the game itself, Bayern were the better team as expected, maintaining possession of the ball over 70% of the time. They might not have created too many chances (11 shots), but they did create great ones, with 6 big chances. Kane broke the deadlock in the first half, Boca equalised midway through the second, and Michael Olise gave Bayern the lead and the win (84’).
The German champions need just one point out of this game to finish atop the group. If they lose, they will drop to second place behind the Portuguese. If they finish first, they will most likely face Chelsea in the competition’s Round of 16.
