Chaves vs Benfica Predictions

• Benfica have won their last six away Primeira Liga games
• Chaves have scored in each of their last six home league contests
• Benfica have conceded goals in their last two games
• Chaves have lost with both teams scoring in three of their last four at home.

Benfica’s confidence bubble has burst

Mid-table Chaves host the Primeira Liga pacesetters Benfica on Saturday with the visitors arriving in Tras-os-Montes on the back of two damaging defeats.

The Eagles saw their ten-point lead at the top cut to seven after losing 2-1 at home to bitter rivals Porto last weekend and then followed that up with an insipid display, by their standards, at home to Inter Milan in the Champions League.

That midweek loss has really burst the confidence bubble around the club and makes this clash much harder to call.  Chaves, facing no panic over relegation, have two wins, one draw and one defeat in the last four rounds and are playing good football.

Schmidt needs to insert fresh legs into his line-up

They and Gil Vicente produced an entertaining 0-0 draw on Monday that was full of quality, so they do have a chance of upsetting the odds against Roger Schmidt’s men. Benfica looked leg-weary against Inter and this may be the cue for Schmidt to rest some key players in the hope they can turn the quarter-final tie around at the San Siro next week.

But there is a lot of wounded pride from the two defeats and any slip-up at Estadio Municipal Eng. Manuel Branco Teixeira would lead to alarm bells all over Lisbon. Chaves have only beaten Benfica three times in 16 previous home games in the league and they may have to wait a little longer for the next.

Benfica have won on 11 of their previous visits and, with a few calculated changes, can take three points again, although backing both teams to score in the game is well worth the odds boost. A 2-1 Benfica win could be the eventual outcome as Chaves have shipped an average of almost two goals per game across their last five while scoring at least once in each one.

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