Our football match prediction:
AEK Athens
Match Time & Date:
02/10/2018
20:00 GMT
Prediction: 1-1
Benfica
Tuesday’s football match at Olympiako Stadio Spyros Louis pits together AEK Athens and Benfica. The Greek side experienced all sorts of problems at the back in a 3-0 loss to Ajax, but it is well known that they produce much better showings at home than on the travels. AEK need to grab something from the Benfica clash if they are to keep their hopes of making it to the knockout stages of the Champions League alive, therefore, we predict that the hosts are going to leave their hearts on the field. As expected, the Eagles were beaten by Bayern Munchen at home in the opening match of their Champions League campaign, but they are definitely capable of holding AEK to a draw in Athens. It has to be noted that the two sides meet for the first time ever in the elite competition.
Highlighted Player (Petros Mantalos):
Petros Mantalos is a Greece international who plays for AEK Athens as a midfielder. Mantalos was born in Komotini, Greece on August 31, 1991, starting his youth career at Xanthi. Speaking of his senior career, the right-footed midfielder played for Skoda Xanthi before joining AEK Athens in 2014. Mantalos has established himself as a first-team regular at AEK and he played an important role in the team that won the national championship in the 2017/2018 season. To make things even better for the fans, AEK Athens booked their place in the Champions League thanks to a win over Celtic in the play-off. Petros Mantalos made his international debut with Greece on September 7, 2014 against Romania. The AEK midfielder scored his first ever goal for the Greece national football team in a 2-1 win over Australia in June, 2016. His main position is attacking midfielder, but he is capable of playing as both central and left midfielder as well.
Highlighted Team (Benfica):
Member of the ‘Big Three’ clubs in Portugal alongside FC Porto and CP Sporting, Sport Lisboa e Benfica are the football club that has never been relegated from the Primeira Liga. The club is nicknamed Aguias because of the Eagle symbol atop the club’s crest. Benfica play their home games at the Estadio da Luz which replaced the original one in 2003 and which boasts the capacity of more than 64,000. Arguably the most successful club in Portugal, Benfica have won a record of 35 Primeira Liga titles and also a record 25 Taca de Liga and 7 Taca da Liga trophies. Two-time European Cup winners, Benfica are the club known for their diligent work with youth players, many of which went on to make great careers abroad. The most prominent players to wear a Benfica shirt are legendary Eusebio, Manuel Bento, Jorge Tavares and most recently Javier Saviola, Nuno Gomes, David Luiz and Angel Di Maria.
