Benfica vs Bayer Leverkusen Predictions

• Bayer Leverkusen have won four, drawn one and lost two of their last seven Bundesliga and Champions League games
• Benfica have lost all three league phase games after struggling through the qualifiers
• Alex Grimaldo has scored seven and assisted four goals in 13 appearances this season

Champions League level looks beyond Benfica

Benfica have not been able to meet the required level in this season’s Champions League and could fall to a fourth straight league phase defeat when Bayer Leverkusen visit Estadio da Luz on Wednesday.

Jose Mourinho took over a couple of days after their embarassing 3-2 home defeat to Qarabag and has not been able to turn their ailing fortunes around in subsequent 1-0 and 3-0 defeats against Chelsea and Newcastle.

But they have won three domestic games in a row without conceding and will not make it easy for Leverkusen to bag their first European win of the campaign. Kasper Hjulmand’s men scrapped out draws against Copenhagen and PSV Eindhoven in their first two games before a humiliating 7-2 home defeat against Paris Saint-Germain put them in their place.

Grimaldo goes back to his old stomping ground

Neither side looks likely to go far in this season’s competition, but Leverkusen at least have some impressive attacking players – including ex-Benfica star Alex Grimaldo. He has scored seven and assisted four goals in 13 appearances this season after being pushed into an attacking midfield role.

With Patrick Schick potentially back to lead the line and Grimaldo providing the bullets, Leverkusen look well equipped to score against a very one-paced Benfica side.

Back the visitors in the draw no bet market as confidence in Mourinho’s men getting their first point of the campaign is low, but Leverkusen have let too many goals in for them to be considered a solid punt.