Bayern Munich vs Benfica predictions: Threasy does it for German giants
- Bayern Munich have scored over 2.5 goals in five of their last six games
- Benfica have conceded exactly three goals in three of their last six UCL matches
- Recommended Bet: Bayern Munich to score over 2.5 goals
Two former European Cup winners clash in a pivotal league phase fixture at the Allianz Arena, where both Bayern Munich and Benfica will be looking for a Champions League lift-off on Wednesday.
The Bundesliga leaders became the first side to score nine goals in a Champions League game with their 9-2 demolition of Dinamo Zagreb on matchday one, but Vincent Kompany’s side have since lost at Aston Villa and Barcelona.
The Bavarians will be glad to be back among home comforts for this clash with Benfica, whose perfect start in Europe was ruined by Feyenoord last month.
Bruno Lage had overseen victories against Crvena Zvezda and Atletico Madrid in the Eagles’ first two games and they remain firmly in the hunt for a top-eight finish in the league phase.
Team news
Bayern will again be without Sacha Boey (knee), Josip Stanisic (knee), Aleksandar Pavlovic (collarbone) and Hiroki Ito (foot) through injury.
Kompany is unlikely to change too much from the weekend, when Bayern beat Union Berlin 3-0, although Thomas Muller and Serge Gnabry are options to freshen up the forward line.
As for Benfica, they are still waiting on Gianluca Prestianni (ankle), Leandro Barreiro (thigh) or Tiago Gouveia (shoulder) to recover from injury.
But right-back Alexander Bah is expected to be available for the game after coming off at half-time in their weekend win over Farense with a thigh strain.
The stats
Although they have lost their last two Champions League games Bayern are unbeaten in 11 domestic fixtures this season (W9 D2).
Harry Kane has scored 17 goals in 14 appearances for the Bavarians this term, including three hat-tricks.
Benfica have won 11 of their last 12 outings on home turf, scoring 39 goals and conceding only seven.
Lage’s side have now won their last four away games too, including that 2-1 win at Crvena Zvezda.
But the Eagles have never before beaten Bayern in their 12 previous meetings with the Bundesliga side victorious on nine occasions and three draws.
Bayern's last six games against Portuguese clubs have all come against Benfica with the German giants scoring 16 goals in winning the last four.
Prediction
Bayern’s ability to break down even the sturdiest of defences at home was evident again at the weekend in their 3-0 win over Union Berlin.
The capital club arrived in Munich positioned fourth in the Bundesliga, while also holding the league's second-best defensive record, having allowed only five goals across eight matches.
But the result was never in doubt after Kane had given Bayern the lead from the spot and their superiority was shown in all the main attacking statistics at the final whistle.
Benfica are a hard-working side with enough creative talent to cause Bayern some problems, but they are unlikely to resist the home side for too long.
Kompany’s team cannot afford any more slip-ups after back-to-back European defeats and they should be looking to record a similarly convincing win to their three-goal romp at the weekend.
The Bundesliga leaders have scored three or more goals in five of their last six games and are capable of netting another triple against a Benfica side that shipped three in three of their last six Champions League matches.
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