Monday’s middle game at the Club World Cup kicks off at 6:00pm EST between Argentina’s Boca Juniors and Portugal’s Benfica in Group D. Read on for our top Boca Juniors vs Benfica picks.
Boca Juniors vs Benfica Odds
| BET | ODDS |
| Boca Juniors | +375 |
| Draw | +275 |
| Benfica | -143 |
| Over 2.5 | -138 |
| Under 2.5 | +107 |
Club World Cup odds at Bet365.
Boca Juniors vs Benfica Head-to-Head
This will be the first-ever meeting between the teams.
Boca Juniors Preview
It’s technically a short offseason for Boca as the Clausura hasn’t started yet.
During the Apertura, they were 2nd at 10-3-3 scoring 24 and allowing 11. Though 2nd, they were tied with 33 points for 1st with Argentinos Jrs. In the playoffs they last 2 rounds, drawing Lanus 0-0 and winning in PKs, before losing 1-0 to Independiente in the quarterfinals.
That makes them winless in regulation in 4 games but still only 4 losses in 20 overall matches this year. Boca has typically been strong defensively. Prior to these last 4 games they had clean sheets in 5/7. Only 3 times in 20 games have they allowed more than 1 goal in a match.
Their leading scorer has been Miguel Merentiel with 6G/3A.
Boca are surprise non-participants in the Libertadores losing qualification to Peru’s Alianza. After getting knocked out of the Clausura playoffs, Miguel Angel Russo returns for a 3rd round as head coach of the club.
Benfica Preview
The Portuguese powerhouse fell just short of the title to their Lisbon rivals finishing 2nd in the Liga. They were 25-5-4, scoring 84 goals and conceding just 28. Their 80 points put them just 2 back of 1st-placed Sporting.
Benfica’s last loss in any competition came in the Champions League to Barcelona in March. Since that time they went 10 games undefeated scoring multiple goals in 8 straight before stalling out at the end with back-to-back 1-1 draws. They also conceded in 6 of their final 8.
The lone trophy Benfica claimed this season was the Taca da Liga over Sporting in penalties back in January.
Player props will likely start with the two key men in Vangelis Pavlidis (19G/7A) and Kerem Aktürkoğlu (11G/9A).
Boca Juniors vs Benfica Prediction
With Bayern expected to win Group C and Auckland City massive longshots to get anything, this will be a pivotal game for a foothold in the top 2 in the group.
This Boca team seems a bit down from past teams and Benfica are loaded with stars. We’ll back them to win and for Pavlidis to get a shot on target.
Benfica to win alone is -135, and with Pavlidis it’s +106 at DK.
- FIFA Club World Cup Picks: Benfica to win + Pavlidis 1+ shot on target (+106).
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Ryan Métivier is a seasoned editor, writer and communications professional with years of experience in all fields. When it comes to covering sports, he’s written for numerous outlets and organizations including the OHL, CHL, SportsXpress, Sports Betting Dime, Cleveland.com, MassLive, FanSided and others.
While he’ll always cheer for his hometown Toronto teams, when it comes to betting, his only allegiance is his bankroll. Ryan specializes in global soccer, the NFL and the NHL, but if there is a bet to be made, he’ll make it. As the founder of Shred The Spread, Ryan focuses on combining storylines, trends, analytics and good bankroll management to creating simple bets that make sense.
When not making a case for why both teams will score in an MLS soccer match, he can be found focusing his efforts on fitness, attempting to learn Spanish, cooking or planning his travel adventure.
