The UEFA Champions League round of 16 continues on Wednesday, Feb. 15 with Club Brugge vs. Benfica. Bettors can catch the broadcast at 3 p.m. EST on various streaming platforms like fuboTV, Paramount+ and Univision. The winner has the edge before the two meet again in the second leg on March 7 in Portugal. As part of TheLines‘ soccer coverage, let’s take a look at Champions League odds for this match.
Club Brugge Vs. Benfica Champions League Odds
Bettors should be aware during the Champions League knockout rounds that the three-way moneyline is only for 90 minutes plus stoppage time.
If the aggregate-goal score after two legs is tied, there will be two 15-minute periods of extra time. However, it’s possible for a Champions League match to go to extra time with a Leg 2 score that was not tied. In this case, three-way moneyline bets for Leg 2 are graded for the team that leads after 90 minutes.
If you are looking for a moneyline bet that pays out on the team to move on to the next round, look for “To Advance” or “To Qualify” props.
Club Brugge Team Preview
In any draw for the Champions League group stage, there is always a group perceived as the weakest. In this season’s edition of the competition, that unwanted accolade landed on Group B. A group that included the foursome of Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, FC Porto and Club Brugge. If you were a betting man or woman, you would likely wager this as the finishing order.
That order almost turned on its head. The former two failed to qualify for the round of 16. The latter progressed at their expense. A weak group, but Club Brugge could only beat what was in front of them. Were it not for no wins in any of their last three group stage outings — a run that saw just two points earned of a possible nine — Brugge would have topped the standings.
Had that been the case, the reward would have been a more favorable draw for the round of 16. They have at least managed to avoid the cream of European crop, though.
Still, a pairing with Benfica is certainly not to be sniffed at. After already embarrassing some dab hands within Champions League circles, new manager Scott Parker will not want to see his team viewed as the biggest outsiders of all.
Benfica Team Preview
After an impressive showing in last year’s World Cup, Enzo Fernandez was always going to be high on the shopping list of many clubs. Following a sale which was north of $100 million, Chelsea managed to cross him off of theirs. Undoubtedly, the departure by Fernandez will cause a sizable blow for Benfica. Then again, such sales serve as the bedrock of their ongoing business model. He is not the first player to be flipped at a huge profit, he certainly will not be the last.
Business model or not, Benfica will now look to get down to Champions League business. And after being one of the surprise acts of the group stage, they are certainly a team to be avoided in the knockout phase.
How much of their table-topping of Group H came down to the departed Fernandez remains the operative question. Such a query does do a disservice to the talent of Goncalo Ramos.
The forward could well be the next player to move on from the conveyor belt. But before he does, he will look to enhance his value even further. The best way to do that? Another set of impressive performances in the Champions League.
The club is already flying in Portugal’s Liga NOS. And with another league crown more than likely already, Roger Schmidt and his players can go full pelt in this competition. Good news for Benfica, bad news for the teams that attempt to stand in their way.
Champions League Knockout Rounds Bracket
Since the UCL draws for new matchups after the round of 16, there’s no set bracket for fans to follow just yet.
Club Brugge Vs. Benfica Expected Goals
In a sport where scoring has extremely high variance, opportunities to score and opportunities allowed has become a more respected measure of the quality of a team’s play. Expected goals (xG) measures the quality of a shot based on several factors, including shot type, shot angle and distance from goal. Similarly, expected goals allowed (xGA) measure the quality of a team’s defense. Subtracting expected goals allowed from expected goals equals expected goal differential (xGD) and offers an overall advanced measure of a team.
| Team | MP | GF | GA | GD | xG | xGA | xGD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club Brugge | 6 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 6.9 | 10.7 | -3.8 |
| Benfica | 6 | 16 | 7 | +9 | 10.6 | 7.3 | +3.3 |
Matchup History
When it comes to any previous history between Club Brugge and Benfica, there is nothing to report in the Champions League. Although these two sides are relatively familiar names in the competition, they have yet to cross paths.
Club Brugge Vs. Benfica Champions League Odds: Bets To Consider
Benfica Win 2-0: +700
Considering Benfica found themselves in a Champions League group that contained both PSG and Juventus, their advancement to the round of 16 came as something of a surprise. Such surprises did not stop there either.
Because in the so-called group of death, the Portuguese outfit managed to finish at the top of Group H. And in doing so, they have received arguably the easiest pairing of the round. One that, although it sees them on the road for the first leg, should not deter further progress. A trip to Belgium could all but settle the aggregate before the two teams square off again in Lisbon.
Admittedly, Club Brugge’s own progress to this phase of the competition counts as something of a surprise as well. And after helping dispose of both Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid, the Belgians will look to continue their European fairytale.
Unfortunately for them, I can see this latest European chapter becoming something more akin to a nightmare. With Benfica’s additional quality ready to shine through, I am shining a light on a 2-0 away win.
Benfica Win First Half: +155
If we use the first prediction as the foundation for the second, we may gain some profit in the first 45 minutes. Profit that comes courtesy of a halftime win for the Portuguese giants.
After showing their prowess in the group stage, Benfica is certainly not a side to sleep on. And even though they have lost Fernandez to Chelsea for an astronomical fee, this side still has plenty of talent within its ranks.
Admittedly, Benfica may have to deal with harder tests in this season’s Champions League. But, they have also dealt with the tests of both PSG and Juventus. And with Portugal’s World Cup hero Ramos in attack, they have the perfect player to lead the line.
After his impressive performances in Qatar, Ramos was linked with a move away. And although that may happen in the summer, he still wears the colors of Benfica for the next few months.
If you like the color of money, my second prediction should hopefully lead to some profits by halftime. Simply back Ramos or another of his Benfica teammates to put the team ahead at the interval and we will get the better of the sportsbooks.
