Borussia Dortmund vs Benfica Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

New Borussia Dortmund manager Lucian Favre certainly isn’t pulling any punches, even in the pre-season campaign. They got off to a low key start as they beat Austria Wien 1-0 in the middle of July, but their performances became more high profile when they touched down in the United States.

They managed to beat Manchester City 1-0 in their first match in the International Champions Cup, and their performance was even better when they went head to head with former manager Jurgen Klopp. They beat Liverpool 3-1 on Sunday, and seemed to come to life in the second half after a Virgil van Dijk goal put them on the back foot.

Of course, these results are ultimately inconsequential and Favre’s reign will be remembered by how he manages in competitive competition, but it’s certainly a promising start for the Swiss man.

After pulling off such a turnaround in the second half against Liverpool, it’s possible that Favre will opt to start this second half team against Benfica. They made nine substitutions at half-time there, and Christian Pulisic’s introduction was a game changer as he scored twice. Marco Reus has also joined up with the squad and could feature here.

Unlike their opponents, Benfica haven’t been in ICC action so far this summer. They do have a few friendlies under their belt though, with the most recent being a 1-0 win over Sevilla on Saturday. Considering they start their Champions League campaign against Fenerbahce on the 6th August it’s likely we’ll see a strong team fielded in all of their International Champions Cup games.

The Portuguese outfit certainly look to be heading that way. They have only one major absentee from their travelling party, and that’s due to Filip Krovinovic’s cruciate ligament injury. The rest of the first team squad are present though, including new signing Nicolas Castillo and last season’s 34 goal hero Jonas.

This may be Benfica’s first ICC match of the summer, but they have taken part in one prior instalment of the tournament. They played the 2015 campaign, drawing against Fiorentina and Club America but losing against PSG and New York Red Bulls. Dortmund, meanwhile, have a much more impressive record in the competition, winning four of their five games and losing the remaining one on penalties.

On the balance of things we’re expecting a Borussia Dortmund win here. They have looked very impressive despite it only being a friendly tournament, and with the squad at their disposal we like the look of a Dortmund win here along with a 2-1 correct score predictions.