FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP: The Ultra previews BENFICA v CHELSEA with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
BENFICA V CHELSEA
9pm The FIFA Club World Cup knockouts get underway on BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE this weekend! We have a cracker to enjoy on Saturday night as Benfica and Chelsea clash in the top half of the draw. It’s fair to say that when the draw was made, most football fans wouldn’t have been expecting this tie. Chelsea would have been expected to top Group D but had to settle for second best behind Flamengo, while Benfica beat Bayern Munich on the final matchday to top Group C! They have Manchester City in their half of the draw, but they would meet them in the Semi-Final, should everything work out.
We have had some surprising results at this tournament – even PSG were shocked by Botafogo but still managed to top their Group. That result effectively knocked out Atletico Madrid though. We could have some blockbuster ties at the Quarter-Final stage; in my opinion this is the highlight Last 16 tie though. Benfica have played some good football – obviously beating Bayern Munich is a massive boost for them and then of course you have a Chelsea side who finished the Premier League season strongly plus had the Europa Conference League win.
Chelsea come into the game as the favourites at 2.2 with Benfica 3.7 and the draw is 3.55 at the time of writing. I know Chelsea had some poor moments in the Premier League this season, but they ended up finishing with the third best attacking figure. They had an average xG created of 1.78, which was only beaten by Liverpool and Manchester City. It has to be said though that towards the end of the season they did meet Liverpool and Manchester United at the right time – Liverpool were partying after their title win and United were focused on the Europa League. You have to give Benfica massive credit for beating Bayern, but it was more a performance of defence rather than attack!
Benfica took an early lead in the 13th minute and basically held on. They finished the game with 27% possession, but in fairness Bayern could only manage an xG of 1.55 which is a low figure considering the amount of the ball they had. It’ll be interesting to see how much Chelsea can create here; they comfortably beat Los Angeles and Esperance de Tunis, but they were put in their place by Flamengo. The Brazilian sides have been excellent at this tournament to be fair. Chelsea pretty much collapsed in the second half, and could only manage an xG of 1.38.
I’m going to keep stakes small here, but the 2.2 looks a little short on Chelsea in my opinion. You’d have to be impressed with Benfica thus far this tournament, and if they can defend like they did against Bayern then Chelsea are going to have to work very hard. I expect this one to be closer than the odds suggest, and from a value point of view I’m happy with a small lay on Chelsea.
The Ultra Says:
One point lay (liability) Chelsea to beat Benfica at 2.2 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
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