PAOK vs Benfica Champions League
In the first leg the Benfica showed off his technical superiority over the Paok, but he was not precise in the goal area while the opposing team managed to score in the only shot in which he hit the mirror of the goal. The final result of 1-1 makes the qualification still open, the Paok will try to exploit the advantage of playing at home the return match, but the Benfica repeating the performance of the first leg with a little ‘luck and precision could bring at home the ninth consecutive qualification to the group stage of Champions League.
For the Paok it would be his first historical qualification for the Champions League group stage, which is why there will be the public of great occasions and the players will give their best to try to repeat the companies already completed against Basel and Spartak Moscow.
Paok Thessaloniki has already eliminated Basel and Spartak Moscow
The Paok Thessaloniki has come to play this playoff not by chance or because of lucky draws. In the previous rounds, in fact, after bashing the Basel with a total result of 5-1 round-trip, and then confirmed to live an extraordinary formative moment at an offensive level, even exceeding Spartak Moscow, winning with the result of 3- 2 in the first leg at the end of a resounding comeback and then drawing 0-0 away to Moscow. In the two games played at home in these Champions League preliminaries he has already scored five goals, and Benfica’s defenders will have to watch out especially for Prijović, who scored in both matches.
Benfica is stronger, but away in the Champions League
Compared to the past years, Benfica has maintained its valuable pieces this time, selling only João Carvalho, sold to Nottingham Forest. Of course, there are no more high-level profiles as in the recent past (Ederson, Victor Lindelöf, Nélson Semedo, Renato Sanches, Gonçalo Guedes and Nico Gaitán) but at least the most promising ones have been confirmed. Franco Cervi, Alejandro Grimaldo, Pizzi, Rúben Dias and Eduardo Salvio are the strongest players. Among the new arrivals are Nicolás Castillo (former also of Frosinone, currently injured as the teammate Jonas), Germán Conti (Colón), Odysseas Vlachodimos (Panathinaikos) and Facundo Ferreyra (Shakhtar Donetsk).
Benfica have a stronger team than the Paok, but the outbound result does not help and the results in the Champions League have recently been disastrous: no victory in the last six games, with seventeen goals conceded.
Today’s Football Prediction PAOK vs Benfica
At home the Paok has already beaten Basel and Spartak Moscow and in these Champions League matches has shown great effectiveness in attack. The Benfica should create more chances as in the first leg, but will need more precision: a new tie with goals is not to be excluded.
The probable formations
PAOK THESSALONIKI (4-2-3-1): Paschalakis; Vierinha, Crespo, Varela, Léo Matos; Maurício, Cañas; El Kaddouri, Pelkas, Limnios; Prijovic.
BENFICA(4-2-3-1): Vlachodimos; Grimaldo, Días, Jardel, Almeida; Fejsa; Cervi, Fernandes, Pizzi, Salvio; Facundo Ferreyra.
Betting Tip: 1-1
