Benfica, in preparation for the start of the Europa League qualification, played two friendly matches, in which they were defeated and won. Obviously, the Eagles are not in the best shape for the exit in Switzerland. In the first match against St. Gallen, Marc Silva's men had more possession of the ball (61%), but their attacks did not pose much of a threat, moreover, the opponent even hit more shots on target (six against four) and deservedly won with a score of 2:1. After an unsuccessful trip to Switzerland, Benfica sparred with Belenenses, where they confidently won (5:1).
St. Gallen did not show stable results in the control matches, won two matches and lost twice. Nevertheless, in the very first official game, Enrico Maassen's team scored a sensational victory over Benfica (2:1). Moreover, the victory turned out to be fully deserved, the Swiss created more chances at the other's goal, showed themselves better in the implementation. After a successful European Cup game, St. Gallen started with a victory in the national championship: they beat Zurich 2-1 on their own field.
Benfica underestimated their opponent in the first game, lacked speed in the development of attacks, and the 1-2 defeat was well deserved. Obviously, the Eagles will play at home with an obvious emphasis on attack, there is nowhere to retreat. At the same time, St. Gallen came to the start of the season in excellent shape, everything is in order with physical fitness, there are no problems with implementation. After the sensational victory over the Portuguese, there was a successful start in the national championship. It is possible that Benfica will achieve victory in the class today, but it is unlikely that he will win with a handicap of more than two goals.
Our betting tip is for St. Gallen to win with an Asian handicap (+2.5) for a coefficient of 1.67
Bet Goals in both halves – yes
In four of Benfica's last five matches, goals have been scored in each half.
The bet is an accurate score of 3:1
Benfica have scored two of their last three wins with a two-goal advantage.
On July 30, Benfica defeated St. Gallen 5-0 in the Europa League qualifiers at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon. Evangelos Pavlidis scored a poker game: he scored in the 11th, 55th, 66th minutes, and also from the penalty spot in the 74th. Clement Langle made the score final in the 81st minute.
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