Our prediction for this Champions League match:
Benfica
Match Time & Date:
20/09/2023
02:00 PM
Prediction: 2-1
Salzburg
Benfica welcome Salzburg to their Estadio da Luz in the opening match of their Champions League campaign. The Eagles are on a four-game winning run in Primeira Liga and they are likely to stick to their attacking style of play. The opposition back-line should have Angel Di Maria at bay as the Argentina superstar has already started paying off. Defender David Jurasek should be the only absentee in the home team.
The Red Bulls, on the other hand, are leading the chase for the Austrian Bundesliga title. As Salzburg look sharp in front of goal as well, we believe that there is a big value in betting on over 2.5 goals. Both Daouda Guindo and Justin Omoregie are out of contention with injuries, speaking of the visiting team. It has to be noted that the two teams meet for the first time ever in the elite competition.
Highlighted Player (Angel di Maria):
Angel Di Maria is a professional footballer who played for Argentine side Rosario Central at the start of his senior career. The left-footed winger is very quick on the ball and he often makes life difficult for opposition defenders. After playing for Benfica between 2007 and 2010, the Argentine superstar signed for Real Madrid on 28 June, 2010 for a fee of €25 million + €11 million in bonuses.
Despite impressing with los Blancos in the 2013/2014 La Liga campaign, the club chiefs decided to sell him to Manchester United on 26 August, 2014. Di Maria was playing below expectations at Old Trafford and he scored three goals in 27 league games for the Red Devils.
In 2015 he moved to Paris Saint-Germain and he scored 10 goals in 29 league appearances for les Parisiens in the 2015/2016 Ligue 1 campaign. In 2014 he won the Champions League trophy with Real Madrid and that is considered the biggest success of his career. Angel Di Maria was born in Rosario on 14 February, 1988.
Highlighted Team (Salzburg):
Salzburg are a professional football club that compete in Austrian Bundesliga. The club’s main sponsors are Red Bull and, as a result, they are well known under the name of the Red Bulls. The club was founded on 13 September, 1933 and they won their first Austrian Bundesliga trophy in 1994.
Salzburg quickly established themselves as the dominant force in the national championship and they are the most successful Austrian club in the 21st century. It has to be noted that they won their tenth Austrian Premier League trophy in 2016, finishing the season nine points clear of second-placed Rapid Wien.
The Red Bulls welcome their rivals at Red Bull Arena, the stadium that was opened on 8 March, 2008. The capacity of the venue is 31 895. Salzburg participated in the 1993/1994 UEFA Cup final, but Italian side proved to be a big catch for the Austrian outfit. Inter recorded a 2-0 win over Salzburg in the final (on aggregate).
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