Benfica is performing well in their current campaign, holding 14th place with three wins and two losses. Their most recent success came two weeks ago with a 3-2 victory over Monaco, marking a strong recovery after two losses in rounds 3 and 4.
Positioned favorably for qualification, Benfica is five points clear of the 25th-placed team, which is the first to be eliminated.
With three matches remaining, their aim is to break into the top 8, which is just one point away, to secure a direct spot in the Champions League round of 16. Domestically, Benfica is in 3rd place, trailing Sporting and Porto. After their win against Monaco, they faced Arouca and hosted Guimarães.
On the other hand, Bologna’s path to Champions League qualification is becoming increasingly challenging.
After a scoreless draw against Shakhtar on September 18, they endured four consecutive defeats and are currently in 33rd place, five points behind the 24th spot, which offers a playoff ticket. The team is hopeful for perfect results in their remaining three matches, but even that might not be enough if other teams competing for qualification also perform well.
Bologna scored their first goal in the competition on matchday 5 against Lille, though they lost 2-1. In Serie A, Bologna has shown improvement and is now in 8th place, ahead of their upcoming matches against Venice and Juventus.
Benfica will likely be without Sanches, who is on loan from PSG and has struggled with injuries, just as he did in the Monaco match.
It is uncertain whether German full-back Beste and seldom-used forwards Prestianni and Gouveia will recover in time. No Benfica player is suspended, though key players Carreras and Aursnes are at risk of suspension if they receive yellow cards on Wednesday.
Aktürkoglu is Benfica’s top scorer in the Champions League with three goals, although he didn’t score in Monaco. Di Maria, with 9 goals and 5 assists across all competitions, contributed two assists in that match.
Bologna will continue to miss midfielder Aebischer, who has been injured for two months, and Moroccan winger El Azzouzi, who has yet to feature this season. Striker Cambiaghi, who suffered a significant injury in August, is also unavailable.
Swedish forward Karlsson, who has scored in Serie A but is a regular substitute, remains uncertain after missing the previous game against Lille. Bologna’s only goal in the competition came from starting central defender Lucumi. Key attacking players Orsolini, Dallinga, and Ndoye, with Orsolini having five Serie A goals, will look to add to their tally, though Dallinga and Ndoye are yet to score in the Champions League.
Prediction
Bologna’s away performances in the Champions League often lack excitement, with one of the teams failing to score in 14 of their last 19 away games.
Similarly, Benfica’s home matches in the competition typically see only one team scoring, with both teams on target in just two of their last nine home matches. Therefore, a similar outcome is expected.
Prediction: Benfica 2-0 Bologna.
