Benfica vs Sevilla

Out-of-form Sevilla take a trip to Portugal to continue their mid-season warm-up as they take on Benfica at the Estádio Do Algarve in an exciting exhibition fixture.

Roger Schmidt has turned Benfica into a force to be reckoned with since taking over the managerial reins from Nelson Verissimo in the summer, with the ‘Eagles’ going unbeaten in all 27 matches under his stewardship this season (W24, D3). In addition to assuming control of the top spot in Primeira Liga (W12, D1), Benfica pulled off a massive upset in Europe to beat a star-studded PSG to a top spot in a highly-competitive Group H, leaving non-other than Juventus in their wake. Before the World Cup break trimmed their momentum, Benfica had enjoyed a stellar nine-match winning streak in all competitions, with 56% of those victories yielding multi-goal margins. Furthermore, the unplayable Portuguese giants have netted 3+ goals in six of their last eight outings!

In stark contrast to Benfica’s remarkable season, Sevilla’s sub-par seven-match La Liga start (W1, D2, L4) forced the sacking of Julen Lopetegui in early October. Jorge Sampaoli, who has returned to Andalusia for the second time, has failed to shake things up at the club, with ‘Los Rojiblancos’ experiencing an equally disappointing seven-game league record under his tutelage (W1, D3, L3). One point adrift of La Liga safety, Sevilla must have thanked God for the World Cup break, as they’ve been given an extra rest period to rally their troops and avoid further humiliation. A keenly-contested 1-1 draw with Monaco in their opening mid-season friendly yielded some positives, yet there’s not much reason for optimism. Sampaoli’s men have only won once in their last six matches (D2, L3).