At the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, Benfica and Monaco meet again after a week to fight for a spot in the Champions League Round of 16. In the first leg, played last Tuesday in the principality, Benfica secured a 1-0 victory over Monaco, thanks to a goal from the ever-reliable Vangelis Pavlidis early in the second half. After the Greek forward put Benfica ahead, Hütter's team struggled to equalize, especially after Al Musrati's red card, which means he will miss the return leg. However, he is not the only absentee for Monaco, as Vanderson and Zakaria are also suspended. In fact, these two teams also faced each other during the group stage, where Benfica once again came out on top with a 3-2 away win. Recent head-to-head encounters clearly favor Roger Schmidt's side, who only need a draw to advance.

Benfica's shape and key statistics

Benfica is currently in excellent form, having won five consecutive matches across all competitions, scoring an average of two goals per game and conceding less than one per match (0.8). In the Primeira Liga, they are in a tight title race, sitting just two points behind Sporting CP.

During the Champions League group stage, Benfica managed just one home victory against Atletico Madrid, along with a goalless draw against Bologna and two defeats. However, in their domestic league, they have only lost once in 11 home matches at the Estádio da Luz.

Monaco's shape and key statistics

To stage a comeback, Monaco needs to overturn its poor Champions League form. The French side has recorded one win, one draw, and two losses, scoring just three goals and conceding eight (two per game).

Despite a 7-1 thrashing of Nantes in their last Ligue 1 match, Monaco has been inconsistent. In their last five matches across all competitions, they have won twice and lost three times, conceding at least one goal in each of their last six games. Their last away victory dates back to December in the French Cup.

Benfica vs Monaco Prediction and Tactical Analysis

Benfica and Monaco are expected to deliver an exciting match filled with goal-scoring opportunities. Monaco will likely try to take control early to overturn the first-leg deficit, but Benfica, backed by their home crowd, will be prepared. Expect Pavlidis, who has already scored six goals in this Champions League campaign, to be a constant threat to Monaco’s fragile defense.

Based on these factors, the BetMines algorithm predicts that both teams will score in this encounter.

• The BetMines algorithm prediction for the Benfica vs Monaco match predicts that both teams will score at least one goal at 62%
• The BetMines algorithm prediction for the Benfica vs Monaco match predicts that at least one of the two teams will not score at 38%.

Benfica vs Monaco Probable Lineups

Benfica (4-3-3): Trubin; Tomas Araujo, Antonio Silva, Otamendi, Alvaro Carreras; Aursnes, Florentino, Kökçü; Aktürkoğlu, Pavlidis, Schjelderup. Coach: Lage.

Monaco (4-2-3-1): Majecki; Diatta, Kehrer, Salisu, Caio Henrique; Coulibaly, Camara; Akliouche, Embolo, Golovin; Biereth. Coach: Hütter.