Bayern Munich v Benfica

Bayern Munich and Benfica both suffered heavy defeats on matchday three in the Champions League, though the markets suggest Vincent Kompany’s Bundesliga leaders are likeliest to rebound with a victory when the teams meet at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday evening.

⭐ Bayern Munich v Benfica Best Bets

Benfica have won nine of their ten matches in all competitions since Bruno Lage’s appointment in September, and though that one loss was suffered in the Champions League, the Portuguese giants had 16 shots and mustered 1.70 in xGF in that 3-1 defeat to Feyenoord.

In-form Benfica, who have scored in 100% of their last 13 matches, can be a nuisance against Bayern Munich, though keeping the Bavarians off the scoresheet should be tricky.

Bayern have been averaging 3.53 goals per game under Vincent Kompany, so back both teams to register at the Allianz Arena.

👕 Bayern Munich v Benfica Predicted XI

🔍 Bayern Munich v Benfica Players to Watch

🔴 Jamal Musiala

Attacking midfielder Jamal Musiala was benched for Bayern Munich’s matchday three defeat in Barcelona, however, the 21-year-old should be restored to the XI on Wednesday and is backed to make an impact in the final third against Benfica.

Musiala has been averaging 4.41 shots and 1.89 shots on target per 90 in the Champions League this season and the German international carries plenty of goal-scoring threat to compliment his more creative skillset. Expect Musiala to star on the continental stage against Benfica.

🔴 Harry Kane

Five-goal Harry Kane is already the leading marksman in the expanded Champions League group stage and the prolific frontman has been averaging a healthy 2.00 shots on target per 90 minutes in the competition so far. 

Kane has been impressively accurate with his finishing and has been hitting the mark with 60% of his efforts on the continent, netting his five goals from just six shots on target overall. The 31-year-old is an expert at making the most of his openings and Kane is backed to lodge at least two more accurate strikes against Benfica.

⚪️ Florentino Luis

Benfica anchorman Florentino Luis tends to do a lot of the heavy lifting in midfield for the Portuguese giants and the hard-hitting 25-year-old has been averaging 4.07 tackles and 2.22 fouls per 90 minutes in the Champions League so far this season.

Florentino clocked three fouls in Benfica’s reverse to Feyenoord on matchday three in a contest where the Águias had 63% of the ball, so the destroyer’s foul count could be even higher against a possession-hungry Bayern Munich outfit in Germany.

📂 Bayern Munich v Benfica Cheat Sheet

The Champions League continues to heat up in matchweek four and our football betting predictions are crafted to help you in your picks across all the action. Check out our Champions League accumulator tips and Champions League bet builder tips.

We also have a selection of both teams to score tips, along with player prop market predictions to fold into bet builders, like our card betting tips, player shots on target tips, fouls betting tips, and anytime goalscorer tips.

💻 Bayern Munich v Benfica Form and Tactics

Bayern Munich are setting the pace domestically in the Bundesliga this season, notching seven wins and two draws from their first nine assignments in the division while netting a mammoth 32 goals along the way.

As a Pep Guardiola disciple, new Bayern boss Vincent Kompany has been quick to employ a possession-heavy strategy in Bavaria and Die Roten have already been controlling 70.9% possession per game on average in the Bundesliga, which is a considerable jump on last season’s figure of 61.3%

In the Champions League, the story has been similar for Bayern (66.7%), who rank second behind Man City for average possession dominated and short passes attempted (350.0) per group game.

However, Kompany’s outfit were picked off on the counterattack on matchday three in Barcelona (1-4) and in their surprise 1-0 loss to Aston Villa before that, and Benfica will be determined to exploit their host’s high defensive line in similar style.

The decision to re-appoint Bruno Lage has proved a masterstroke for Benfica so far, who have won nine fixtures out of ten under the 48-year-old’s instruction. The Águias have generally been setting up in a 4-3-3 formation under Lage and ball retention has been a key tenet of their gameplan.

Benfica had 53% of the ball in their superb 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid on matchday two and an even loftier 60% possession in their 3-1 reverse a home to Feyenoord on October 23, though their figures should drop in Germany this week.

Lage’s troops made 44 tackles across their group meetings with Atletico Madrid and Feyenoord, so expect them to get stuck in when they visit Munich. 

Benfica have been finding joy down the flanks in the Champions League so far. Winger Kerem Akturkoglu has been a good source of goals (three) in from the left, though veteran Angel Di Maria has been a keener creative force from the right, averaging 4.89 shot-creating actions and 4.00 crosses per 90.

🏁 Bayern Munich v Benfica Ref Watch

• Referee: Davide Massa (Italian).
• Has taken charge of two Champions League group games so far and he handed out a total of just one yellow card across those fixtures.
• Champions League group games officiated by Massa have been averaging just 11.0 fouls per game this season.
• Massa last took charge of a match involving Bayern Munich in October 2023. The 43-year-old booked five players in Bayern’s 3-1 win in Turkey over Galatasaray on that occasion.

Football Predictions at Andy's Bet Club

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* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.

* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.