PAOK Thessaloniki vs Benfica Predictions

Benfica played out a 1-1 draw in the Lisbon derby on Saturday night, but their focus was likely on Europe. The Portuguese giants are on the verge of European elimination, after drawing 1-1 at home to PAOK in the first leg of their Champions League play-off last week. They now head to Greece in an attempt to keep themselves in the competition, and secure the £35million on offer if they can book a spot in Thursday’s group stage draw. Will the visitors pull it off?

PAOK must feel like they’re in a strong position, as they look to continue a strong summer for Greek football. AEK Athens have a foot in the next round, while Olympiakos are on course in the Europa League. Facing Benfica is the toughest ask any of them have to deal with this week, especially given how crucial this encounter is for Portuguese football as a whole.

The Eagles make this trip on the back of a huge game, so they’re facing a demanding week. Their 1-1 draw with Sporting on Saturday kept their unbeaten record in the Primeira Liga. They’re also yet to lose in the Champions League this season, after getting past Fenerbahce in the previous round. The Portuguese side need a midweek result in Greece in order to land the huge windfall on offer, as elimination before the group stage would be a major blow to their finances.

The pressure is mounting on Benfica here, so we can’t see them taking a lot of risks. The Eagles haven’t pushed themselves too hard to get forward in their big games so far, and they’ve had their fair share of crunch clashes in the first month of the season. The visitors have seen under 2.5 goals land in all three of their Champions League games so far, alongside their meeting with Sporting at the weekend. Is Wednesday’s second leg going to be the latest low scoring affair for Benfica?

The away side have seen under 2.5 goals in their last seven matches in the Champions League. They remain without key forward Jonas, so their gameplan has to be to keep it tight. Meanwhile, PAOK go through with a clean sheet, so taking risks doesn’t suit them. We expect to see a low scoring encounter in this second leg, so we’re going with under 2.5 goals as our main tip, and that seems like value given their form.