AC Milan vs Benfica – Betting Tips and ICC Preview

The fans in Foxborough and Massachusetts will have a chance to see two big names of European football. Former champions of the Old World are meeting in a friendly clash which will help them understand what their biggest flaws and strengths are. Rossoneri are out of the European competitions next season and are fully capable of focusing on the domestic championship. Meanwhile, Benfica sold its biggest talent and is searching for his replacement.

Milan’s game against Bayern Munich was refreshing compared to how this team played last season. They made the Germans work really hard and haven’t embarrassed themselves. At the moment, the difference in names and the overall quality of the two clubs is enormous, but the Italians are slowly moving up the ladder. The 51-year old coach Marco Giampaolo didn’t get any big-time players in this transfer window. Theo Hernández, the former Atletico and Real Madrid member, is their biggest acquisition, and Rade Krunic from Empoli is the second. But what many forget is the fact that Milan formed the team during the previous season, spending almost €200 million. It is up to Giampaolo to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together and to create a chemistry which will guide this team to success. Don’t expect some attractive football here, Giampaolo is a classic Italian coach who isn’t willing to expose its defensive line and attack the opponent.

Joao Felix left for Atletico Madrid, and the Eagles earned quite a lot of money from this transfer. Also, they got almost €40 million for Raul Jimenez who was on loan at Wolverhampton. Two of the biggest additions are Raul de Tomas from Real and Carlos Vinicius who aren’t very well known but are perfect for Benfica’s style of play. The Portuguese powerhouse played two matches in the USA, winning both of them. First, they met with Guadalajara Chivas, 3-0, and afterwards with Fiorentina, 1-2. For now, it seems that Felix’s departure didn’t damage their game too much, but the true tests are yet to come.

Team News

AC Milan’s Andre Silva will probably leave the club in the near future, and that is the only notable news before this match.

Prediction

Benfica is the favourite according to all of the bookies, and we will back up that assessment. The Eagles are a better team, and they have better chemistry at the moment. In the recent years, the Portuguese team was fighting with the top European clubs, while AC Milan couldn’t finish among top 4 in the Serie A. Because of that, we are picking the nominal guests in this one and investing money on their win. The odds for that are biggest at bet365 and are sitting at 5/4.

The second betting tip will focus on goals. The Italians are not keen on playing offensive, and we already mentioned that in the previous paragraphs. On the other side, Benfica is a very experienced team who knows when to decrease the tempo of play and how to play to win. Because of that, we don’t expect too many goals. Our recommendation would be a moderate efficiency, 2 or 3 hits. Betfair doubles your stake in this situation, with the odds at 1/1.