ABC logo
Andy's Bet Club
Andy's Bet Club

Best Bookmaker Offers for This Weekend

Let's Go

18+. Gamble Responsibly. Ad.

Benfica v Rangers Bet Builder Stats & Predictions

Benfica v Rangers Bet Builder Stats & Predictions

Wednesday 6 March, 20242 min read
Avatar

Andy Robson

Andy Robson is the most popular betting tipster in the UK. With a combined following in excess of 1 million people across his social media channels, Andy has built a loyal audience by consistently providing quality betting content for over nine years. He is the founder of Andy’s Bet Club, which he launched in 2019.

In this article...

Benfica v Rangers

📅
Kick Off: Thursday 7th March at 20:00
🏆
Competition: Europa League
📺
Watch Live: TNT Sports 1

Rangers are back in European action on Thursday after a disappointing defeat at the weekend against Motherwell. We also have our usual mix of Europa League accumulator tips and best bets; our Europa League Bet Builder predictions for Thursday, as well as plenty more free expert football betting predictions from around the globe throughout the week.

Our football betting cheat sheet tool will be on hand all weekend to guide you through every European game across the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League. Inside, we have everything you need to craft a perfect bet builder. Before you back your bet builder though, make sure to check out our free bet offers and a selection of the best bet builder betting sites to help you bet smarter.

Benfica play hosts for the first leg of their Europa League Round of 16 clash with Rangers, as both sides look to turn things around after suffering defeats in their last outings. The sides sit first and second of their respective domestic leagues so the Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica will witness a battle between two potential 2023/24 champions. 

Benfica find themselves in the Europa League knockouts for the first time since 2021 which was marked with a 4-2 aggregate exit to Arsenal in the Round of 32. They did reach consecutive finals of this competition in 2013 and 2014 but were denied the European title on both occasions. After suffering a chastening 5-0 derby defeat to Porto at the weekend, Roger Schmidt’s side have dropped to second place in the Primeira Liga and a response will be demanded in this midweek clash. 

Rangers also saw their title hopes bruised at the weekend with a 2-1 home defeat to Motherwell. That was a performance that lacked character and heart, but Rangers are always a threat on these European nights. Rangers made it to the final of 2022’s edition of the Europa League but other than that one occasion, have never made it past the Round of 16 - so they certainly have a point to prove on Thursday night in Lisbon.

Benfica v Rangers Cheat Sheet

Generic

This Cheat Sheet and Preview was created using predicted lineups.

🔥 Sign up to our free Gem Bet email here to be first to some standout selections.

There are so many ways to use our Cheat Sheets, however, if you're unsure of how to use a Cheat Sheet, just click the link for some quick tips to help you make the most of it.

You can find Benfica v Rangers match stats, on my bet builder stats tool, along with official line-ups one hour before kick-off.

🥅 Goals stats: Plenty of action on the agenda

Both of these sides are known for racking up the goals in their respective leagues and we expect that attacking potential to carry through into this European clash. Starting with the hosts, Benfica are the second-top scoring side in the Portuguese top-flight scoring 56 goals in 24 games, 2.33 per 90 this season. Of these outings, 62% have seen the net bulge on at least three occasions, mostly down to their sheer attacking strength but they’re not perfect at the back. 42% of Benfica’s league games have seen both teams score and facing a restless Rangers side here will certainly bring more defensive challenges. Benfica were eliminated from the Champions League following their third place finish in the group stages, but they certainly went out in style. In their final three Champions League matches, both teams scored in every clash and each game saw a minimum of four goals scored. This affinity with European drama closely followed them into the Europa League with their first leg in the R32 seeing both teams score and three goals. Aside from their European clashes, over 2.5 goals has landed in six consecutive matches for Benfica and in nine of their last ten. Rangers are in equally great scoring form, finding the net in a whopping 27 consecutive matches across all competitions - talk about goal threat. The Gers are averaging 2.21 goals scored per 90 in Scotland and very similarly to their Thursday hosts, have seen 3+ goals in seven consecutive fixtures, which extends out to in ten of their last 11. Rangers’ Europa League Group Stage campaign was also filled with action - both teams scored in four of the six games, with three of those fixtures seeing 3+ goals. Rangers have only been silenced on three occasions so far this campaign, twice in the league and once in the group stage, so playing away from home certainly doesn't intimidate them.

Predictions:

⚽ Both teams to score @ 1.73

⚽ Over 2.5 goals @ 1.65

🎯 Shooting stats: Who will shine on Thursday night?

One of Benfica’s brightest stars so far this campaign has been Rafa Silva who has netted 14 times in 32 appearances across all competitions, currently the fourth top scorer in the Primeira Liga. Silva is the most dangerous marksman in this Benfica side, recording 3.09 shots per 90 this season and 1.34 shots on target to the same measure. Silva scored two goals in his last home appearance at Estádio da Luz and he could shine again on Tuesday. The Portuguese forward has hit the target at least once in 13 of his last 15 games across all competitions and has picked up a very impressive 10 goals in that time. He netted twice during Benfica’s Champions League group games so maybe he can bring his European quality into this knockout leg - targeting him in the goalscorer markets may hold great value. James Tavernier continues to prove himself as one of Rangers’ most valuable attacking assets, boasting attacking statistics that most centre-forwards would gladly take. Over in Scotland, Tavernier averages a very respectable 2.01 efforts per game and 0.76 shots on target, and he has registered at least one shot in 19 of his previous 20 matches. He has hit the target at least once in five consecutive league matches, 9 times in total. Tavernier remains a consistent threat in Europe, registering 1+ shots in five of Rangers’ six group stage games, hitting the target in three of those outings.

Predictions:

⚽ Rafa Silva to have 1+ shots on target @ 1.50

⚽ Rafa Silva anytime goalscorer @ 6.50

⚽ James Tavernier to have 1+ shots on target @ 2.10

🚩 Corners stats: Plenty of set pieces on the big stage

Set pieces have surfaced as a valuable market to target in Benfica and Rangers’ European matches with both teams seemingly transferring their domestic love for corners into Europe. All of Benfica’s Champions League games, and both their Europa League R32 ties against Toulouse, witnessed 8+ total corners. Of those eight matches, Benfica took 4+ corners on five occasions but only managed to win two corner match bets, highlighting their vulnerability to conceding set pieces. This partners well with their domestic form as they have taken 5+ corners in seven of their last eight matches. Benfica boast an average of 9.79 total corners per 90 in Portugal, however this does rise up to 11.67 when playing on home soil. They have shown both their willingness to attack on the wings and susceptibility to being on the receiving end of set pieces. Rangers have seen 10+ corners in four of their six matchups in this competition, with the other two fixtures coming up slightly short with totals of seven and eight corners. The Gers also average 7.10 corners taken per 90 in this season’s Scottish Premiership campaign so there’s certainly potential for a high corner count on Thursday night.

Predictions:

⚽ Over 8.5 match corners @ 1.29

⚽ Over 9.5 match corners @ 1.50

⚽ Over 5.5 Benfica corners @ 1.50

Bet banner

Get over £500 in Free Bets

Trusted by Andy Robson
Fully Licensed UK Bookmakers
Andy's Bet Club Exclusive Offers

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

* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.

Emoji
Written by an Andy verified content writer

18+ please gamble responsibly.