Benfica vs Casa Pia Prediction: Expect A One-Sided Affair

Benfica will welcome Casa Pia to the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica in the ninth round of the Primeira Liga.

Benfica have a chance to redeem themselves in the league with a comfortable win after suffering a third straight defeat in the Champions League group stage campaign at the hands of Real Sociedad, placing them on the brink of early elimination.

Let's have a look at the latest Portuguese Primeira Liga predictions between Benfica vs. Casa Pia, probable lineups, match facts and betting odds for you to consider!

Note: Odds are subject to change at any time!

Benfica

Form: WWWWW

Benfica have been somewhat disappointing in the Champions League group stage campaign, where they've become a shadow of themselves for a side that topped their group in last season's competition. Their match against Real Sociedad at home was a chance for them to redeem themselves; however, a 1-0 defeat has witnessed them languishing at the bottom of the group (D) with no points to their name in the midway stage.

Prior to that, their visit to the island of Terceira to face off with Lusitânia for the first time in 56 years saw them clinch a commanding 4-1 victory in the third round of the Taca de Portugal, and this comes after a not-so-convincing narrow 1-0 away win over Estoril Praia in the league.

Their reputation for resilience has, however, shone through since their opening defeat against Boavista, as they have gone on to win seven consecutive matches, with their most memorable match to date being a 1-0 win against FC Porto at home to complete the double.

With 21 points collected from eight matches, Benfica sits second in the Primeira Liga standings, two points ahead of third-placed FC Porto and one point behind first-placed Sporting CP, whose flawless form has yet to see them suffer defeat.

Probable Starting XI

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Trubin; Jurasek, Otamendi, Silva, Bah; Neves, Aursnes; Neres, Silva, Mario; Musa

Casa Pia

Form: LLDWD

Casa Pia has been doing well in domestic cup competitions compared to their floundering performance in the league. In the third round of the Taca de Portugal, they made the trip to Campo Bom Jesus Rabo Peixe to lock horns with Rabo Peixe, where goals from Artur Serobyan and Pablo Roberto steered them to a convincing 2-0 triumph.

In the league, they were on a four-match unbeaten run, recording three draws and a solitary 1-0 win against Arouca on the road. However, that all came crashing down as they suffered a 2-0 defeat against Gil Vicente, which was later followed by a 1-0 loss to Estrela Amadora at home to extend their losing run to two matches.

Confidence has been at a high when playing away, as only one loss in four matches has seen them accumulate seven points from a possible 12 and will be backing themselves for a three-pointer in this one, though it won't be an easy feat having suffered a 3-0 defeat against this opponent last season.

They currently occupy tenth place with nine points in the standings, tied with ninth-placed Gil Vicente and three points behind seventh-placed Famalicao.

Probable Starting XI

Formation: 3-4-3

Batista; Varela, Fernandes, Zolotic; Larrazabal, Pablo, Justo, Lelo; Serobyan, Cardoso, Dias

Match Facts

• Benfica have lost two of their six home matches in all competitions.
• Casa Pia has only kept three clean sheets in eight Primeira Liga matches.
• Benfica averages 2.33 goals per game when playing at home, and Casa Pia averages 1.25 goals per game when playing away.

Head-To-Head

In the last 2 meetings,Benfica have won 2 times, Casa Pia have won 0 times, and there have been 0 draws, with the goal difference being 4-0 in favor of Benfica.

Expert Betting Tips

Benfica have been partially impressive since the start of the season, and given that they have to play second fiddle, it goes to show that current leaders Sporting CP have been the best side. With a chance to move up to first place in the standings for the time being, the Eagles will gladly take up the offer to pick up maximum points against lower league opposition Casa Pia, whom they currently maintain a two-match winning streak over.

Casa Pia, on the other hand, will take encouragement from Benfica's struggles on the contentious stage to cause an upset, though realistically speaking, they will be completely out of their depth to achieve such a feat, making it a flight of fancy. However, they'll likely want to avoid losing by a big margin.

Given the gulf in quality and class between these two sides, the visitors will likely struggle to provide a good fight in this one, which makes Benfica poised for a commanding win in front of their supporters. As such, we anticipate the home side to record a comfortable win combined with the total over 2.5 goals. 

• W1 & TO 2.5 for 1.72
• 1st Half Result - Benfica for 1.61
• Corners - Over 11 for 2.00