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Bayern Takes Aim at Clincher

German Powerhouse Awaits Visit from Benfica in Champions League

Halfway through the Group Stage, Bayern Munich has been the most dominant team in the UEFA Champions League. The nine-time defending Bundesliga Champion has thrashed all of its opponents, scoring 12 goals and conceding none through three matches.

Bayern’s perfect start will be on the line when it plays Benfica at the Allianz Arena. A two-goal favorite according to the latest soccer lines, Bayern is fully expected to clinch its place in the knockout stage.

Bayern Poses a Huge Attacking Threat to Benfica
Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP
  • Game: Bayern Munich vs S.L. Benfica
  • Location: Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
  • Date/Time: Tuesday, 4 p.m. ET
Team Goal Line Moneyline Over/Under Team Total
Bayern -2 (-125) -550 3½ (-125o) 2½ -155o/+125u
Benfica +2 (+105) +1400 3½ (+105u) ½ -130o/Evu
Draw +650

Bayern Munich vs Benfica Betting Preview

Head to Head

Bayern Munich defeated Benfica 4-0 in Lisbon a couple weeks ago. The score was level for the first 70 minutes of the game but the visitors piled on four goals in a 15-minute span to comprehensively put away Benfica. Leroy Sane led the way for Bayern with two goals.

This will be the sixth time that Bayern and Benfica meet in the last five years. Bayern has won four of the previous five meetings, with one draw.

Bayern Shrugs Off Historic Defeat

Seemingly out of nowhere, Bayern Munich was blown out 5-0 in the DFB-Pokal by Borussia Monchengladbach. It was an embarrassing performance and Bayern’s worst-ever defeat in the German Cup.

Bayern responded with a comprehensive 5-2 win over Union Berlin at the weekend to get back on track. Robert Lewandowski continued his torrid goal-scoring pace and found the net twice within 25 minutes. Sane added a third goal in the 35th minute to put the match out of reach.

Coach Julian Nagelsmann was still away from the team due to COVID-19, but Bayern beat Benfica two weeks ago without him on the sidelines. As one of the most popular soccer picks, Bayern is expected to win every game and is still using its shock defeat as motivation.

With a +28 goal difference through just 10 Bundesliga matches, Bayern has been blowing out nearly all of its opponents. Bayern also has the most goals and best goal difference in the Champions League through three matches. Anything short of winning the competition would be a disappointment.

Benfica Cooling Down

Lisbon side Benfica had a circuitous route just to qualify for the Champions League and now finds itself in a good position to qualify for the Last 16. Benfica defeated Spartak Moscow 4-0 and PSV 2-1 on aggregate to make the Group Stage.

Undefeated in its first 13 matches in all competitions to open up the season, Benfica picked up a historic 3-0 win over Barcelona in its second Group Stage contest as striker Darwin Nunez bagged two goals.

Since then, Benfica hasn’t been the same for betting online and has won just once in its last five matches in all competitions. Third in the Primeira Liga, Benfica won its first seven domestic games but has drawn one and lost one in its last three.

Benfica has a lot of Champions League experience in the center back pairing of Jan Vertonghen and Nicolas Otamendi. Nunez and Ukrainian striker Roman Yaremchuk have both been clinical in front of goal, but Benfica is dealing with injury problems. Haris Seferovic, the Swiss international striker who scored more than 20 goals last season, is still out with a muscle injury.

Prediction

While even a point would be incredibly helpful for Benfica, Bayern Munich should absolutely go ahead and win this game. This Bayern side can swing a game in mere minutes and has too many goal-scoring weapons for Benfica to handle.

A -550 favorite in the sportsbook, the value doesn’t appear to lie in the moneyline in this match. The over/under goals total is 3½, which Bayern managed to go over in the last meeting alone.

Bayern has scored four or more goals in five of its last seven matches, so the over at -125 looks like a good play.

Pick: Over 3½ Goals (-125)

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