Benfica Preview
Benfica were on the wrong end of a shock result on Friday Night, losing 2-1 away to Maritimo as their lead at the top of the Portuguese Primeira Liga table was reduced to just two points by Sporting Lisbon thereafter. Benfica fell behind in the first half as Gevorg Ghazaryan broke the deadlock just five minutes in, before Goncalo Guedes responded twenty minute later. Then, with twenty minutes remaining, Maritimo took the lead for a second time through defender Mauricio, condemning Benfica to their first league defeat of the season. The timing of the defeat could either prove to be perfect or disastrous, depending on how the team then respond to losing. Rui Vitoria’s team could either take a huge dent of confidence as a result, or bounce back in style with a retaliation borne out of frustration to defeat. Benfica need a win to ensure they progress through to the last 16 of the competition, and if they are able to do so would also confirm their place as group winners also. Losing just once in their last nine home matches in the Champions League, Benfica have an excellent record on home turf in Europe and will need to rely and trust upon it seeing them through to the knockout stages of the competition here.


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Napoli Preview
Napoli swept Inter Milan aside in their meeting on Wednesday, easing to a 3-0 win at the Stadio San Paolo after an excellent team performance. Piotr Zielinski and Marek Hamsik both scored in the opening five minutes to put the hosts into a commanding position, with Italian international Lorenzo Insigne adding a second before half-time. Inter were unable to form a positive response, leaving Napoli to walk out on top, moving them up to 5th in the process of doing so. Although still four points off a Champions League in Serie A, their immediate focus is on retaining their place in Europe’s elite club competition for post-Christmas. Unbeaten in their last six in all competitions – winning two and drawing four – they really can’t afford to lose this game, with defeat leaving them under serious pressure to losing their place in the Champions League. Should Besiktas win away to Dynamo Kiev, they will be guaranteed a place in the next round, with Napoli then having to win at Benfica in that scenario to give themselves a chance of progressing through to the next round. Having gained four points from their two away Champions League fixtures this term, they will feel confident in their chances of managing to get a positive result from Portugal this Tuesday night.

Benfica Team News
Eliseu (thigh) is ruled out for the home side. Andre Horta (thigh) and Jonas (ankle) are both doubts, while Alejandro Grimaldo Garcia (hip) is back in training and will face a late fitness test.

Napoli Team News
Arkadiusz Milik (cruciate ligament) remains a long-term absentee for Napoli. Other than Milik, there are no reported injury issues for Napoli who could remain unchanged from the side which so emphatically beat Inter Milan.

Betting Tips and Predictions

Benfica are historically excellent at home and I can see them coming out on top in a game which should have plenty of goals.

Benfica win – 11/8

Both teams to score YES – 3/4