Monaco welcome Benfica back to the Stade Louis II, in what looks set to be a thrilling UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash. Both teams have shown a knack for high-scoring affairs this season, making this matchup one to watch for plenty of attacking action. With both sides boasting potent attacking talent, it’s shaping up to be an exciting, end-to-end encounter, with the first goal likely setting the tone for the rest of the match.
These two sides met not long ago in the League Phase of the Champions League, resulting in a 3-2 victory for Benfica. A game that had 29 shots and a combined xG of 4.73.
Monaco have more than showed their value in attacking areas of the pitch in the Champions League this season, especially at home – scoring 2 vs Benfica, 2 vs Barcelona, 5 vs Red Star Belgrade and 1 vs Aston Villa. The French side go into this game having scored in 17/19 games in all competitions. They have however kept just 3 clean sheets in their last 18 games in all competitions. Benfica’s attacking prowess is more than capable of taking advantage of Monaco’s defensive vulnerabilities. Impressively, they scored 16 goals in their 8 League Phases games, including: 4 vs Atletico, 4 vs Barcelona, 3 vs Monaco and 2 vs Juventus.
Interestingly, when these two sides faced off in November, there were 8 cards, including 1 red card and a combined 19 fouls. With the expected open, end to end nature of this game you can expect to see a few tactical fouls from both sides to stop the counter attacks. Monaco have seen Both Teams 1+ Card in 8/8 UCL games this season, Benfica have seen Both Teams 1+ Card in 8/8 UCL games this season.
TIP: Both Teams to Score & Both Teams to Receive a Card @ 1.87
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