Juventus vs Benfica

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<10>Juventus vs Benfica

Why are Juventus getting strong market support despite never beating Benfica in recent meetings?

Juventus currently sit 17th in the Champions League table. Across six group matches, they’ve managed just two wins, both against Bodø/Glimt and Pafos — two sides making their Champions League debuts and neither from a top-five European league. Realistically, those six points carry limited weight. Domestically, Juve narrowly lost to Cagliari last round, underlining their inconsistency. The club invested heavily in Canadian international Jonathan David this season, hoping he could immediately step up due to Vlahović’s injury. However, expectations have not been met: David has scored just three goals in 20 appearances (10 starts), a clear underperformance in both form and output.

Benfica, under Mourinho, have continued to improve. As the team gradually adapts to his new ideas, Mourinho remains a figure who commands respect. What’s notable is that this Benfica side no longer looks like a typical “old-school Mourinho team.” Rather than imposing his traditional blueprint, he’s allowed the squad to develop its own rhythm and identity. Following their latest win, Benfica remain firmly in the top three of the Portuguese league. However, in the Champions League they sit 25th with six points. To reach the playoff round, they must take points from upcoming matches against both Juventus and Real Madrid — a brutally difficult path.

From a market perspective, the opening line for Juventus mirrored previous head-to-head meetings, where support for Juve usually faded over time. This time, however, the opposite is happening — the market backing for Juventus is strengthening. Initially, I leaned toward either a draw or Benfica, but given the current price movement, it’s hard to ignore the clear shift toward the home side.

Prediction: Home Win