Dynamo Kyiv and Benfica will decide in their matchup which team heads to the UEFA Champions League group stage. The Ukrainian champs are defying all odds, and they are pushing well despite the fact they play away from home and practically don’t have the home-court edge. This event will take place at the Miejski Stadium in Lodz. Menawhile, Benfica is firing on all cylinders, displaying very efficient and attractive performances, enriched with goals. The Portuguese champions have a very strong start to the campaign and intend to keep it that way.
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Preview
Dynamo Kyiv (+375) eliminated Fenerbahce in their first round of the UCL qualifiers. After 0-0 in Poland, they went to Istanbul and eliminated the Turkish side, winning 1-2, but only after the extra times. The result during the regular 90 minutes was 1-1.
In order to keep themselves in the competitive rhythm, Dynamo had a friendly game against Everton after the matchup with Fener losing that clash, 3-0. After that, the Ukrainians met with Sturm Graz in the following UCL qualifiers stage. They won 1-0 in Poland, then lost with the same result in Austria, but again, rose during the extra times to beat the opponents, 1-2.
As you could see, all four UCL games saw under 2.5 goals, while three concluded with just one side netting. It is clear proof that Dynamo prefers slower and more defensive-minded affairs.
Benfica (-125) played four competitive games, winning all of them, and continuing the excellent form from the preseason. Overall, this team has ten straight wins, all but one of them with two or more goals scored.
Darwin Nunez’s departure didn’t have any negative impacts on the team, who apparently shifted into a higher gear and now looks even more terrifying than during the previous campaign. The Eagles dismantled Midtjylland 7-2 in their first UCL qualifiers round, and that tells a lot about their power.
The most recent game they had in the Portuguese league, was on the road against Casa Pia, 0-1, and that was the sole event since May this year in which Benfica couldn’t net multiple times.
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The problem for the hosts could be the suspensions. Denys Garmash, Sergiy Sydorchuk and Ilya Zabarnyi are all our for this game, and that could be problematic. Vladyslav Supryaga and Volodymyr Kostevych are injured.
Lucas Verissimo, Joao Victor, and Joao Mario are out for the guests, with the note that the last one could appear in protocol.
Head to Head Games
These two teams were in the last year’s group stage, playing two direct meetings. The first in Ukraine saw a goalless draw, while the second ended with Benfica’s victory at La Luz, 2-0.
Prediction
When evaluating all the aspects of the game, Benfica is a much better team, with better players and in better form. Besides that, the Eagles don’t have any problems and function in a normal situation, which can’t be said for the Dynamo. We will take some risk here and pick the guests to win, with the current odds at -130. This pick has a very high value and we have to try it.
Pick: Benfica wins -130
Nikola Velickovic is a sports journalist who loves to write and read on all sports. Nikola contributes both news updates and functions as a sports breaking news writer at WagerBop.
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