Match for the 1st round of Group C of the Club World Cup, at Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami.
What We Know
- First-ever match between these two teams.
- Argentinian Boca Juniors qualified through their standing in the CONMEBOL leaderboard and their Copa Libertadores runs. They have participated once before in a Club World Cup. In 2007, they lost to Milan in the final.
- It is Benfica’s first Club World Cup appearance, representing Portugal alongside Porto.
Betting Tip Boca Juniors - SL Benfica
Benfica are the better team in every way, and they hold the advantage over Boca. Still, the latter will certainly have more of their supporters in the stands, and they will give it their best for at least a point. We won’t go with a specific result, instead picking 2 or 3 goals scored.
- Betting tip: 2 or 3 goals scored
- Odds: 1.95 (at the time of writing)
- Stake:5
Boca Juniors
Boca completed their season in the domestic league without having anything to show for it. They lost in the Apertura playoff to Independiente, in a game that concluded their season. Before that, they had already been knocked out of the Copa Libertadores by Alianza Lima (5-4 on penalties, 2-2 aggregate).
They are, of course, one of the true giants of Argentinian football, having won 35 league titles. Miguel Angel Eusso is at the helm, his third stint after 2007 and 2020-2021. The roster has been improved with two transfers that feature in the squad for this competition. The first one is Marco Pellegrino, a 22-year-old defender who excelled on loan to Huracán. This second transfer is Malcolm Bradia, a left-wing full-back from San Lorenzo.
Veteran Edinson Cavani is also in the squad for this one, after a particularly rough season that saw him feature in just 12 games because of injuries, scoring just twice. The goal for Boca is to advance, though the group is tough. Giants Bayern Munich are the biggest danger, but Portuguese Benfica are no slouches either.
The fans are expected to follow Boca on the road en masse, and that can play a part. Three straight games with under 2.5 goals leading up to this one, and 7 of 10 without both teams scoring. They will face Bayern next.
SL Benfica
Benfica came really close to both league and cup glory, but they ended up empty-handed. They finished second, behind Sporting Lisbon, and had to blame it on several disappointing results against weak opponents during the season. The cup loss was even more dramatic: Benfica were leading until the 10th minute of stoppage time in the final against Sporting, but Sporting then took a 3-1 extra-time win.
Benfica are one of the two greatest and most decorated clubs in Portuguese football, alongside Porto, having won 84 titles and not once having been relegated. Manager Bruno Lage is already in the US with part of the squad, while other players are joining after National Team football.
One of them is Greek forward Vangelis Pavlidis, who completed an excellent first season in Lisbon, scoring 29, assisting 12 in 53 games, and being named in the Portuguese league’s best 11.
Veteran Angel di Maria will play his last games for the Eagles before his return to his home country of Argentina, on behalf of Rosario Central.
Benfica’s last four matches ended with both teams scoring, while they finished the Portuguese league with a remarkable 18-game unbeaten streak. Their next game will come against Auckland City.
