Red Bull Salzburg vs Benfica Prediction (12.12.2023)

We’re getting down to the nitty gritty in the UEFA Champions League as we approach the final matchday for this year’s competition. All 32 clubs involved know what is at stake over the course of the next 90 minutes, with some being in control of their own destiny and others needing a favour. Today, we’ll be taking a look at what should be a fun clash between RB Salzburg and Benfica.

RB Salzburg have been making steady progress in Europe over the course of the last few years and even though they won’t be making it to the knockouts this time around, there are plenty of reasons to believe that they can continue to grow and improve. This is a young club in more ways than one, and they certainly aren’t going to be afraid of mixing things up.

Salzburg started off like a house on fire with an impressive 2-0 win away at Benfica. Unfortunately, they couldn’t quite maintain that forward momentum. They proceeded to lose 2-0 to Real Sociedad, lose twice to Inter Milan, and only pick up a point in the reverse fixture with the Spaniards.

Benfica are the kind of club that have been around the European Cup scene for so long that it’d feel weird if they weren’t here. With that being said, they’ve really struggled to get going this season, and that’s an understatement. At this point, all they can really hope for is to end with a win, and go back to the drawing board with a busy second half of the domestic season ahead.

Benfica lost 2-0 to Salzburg at home in their opening game and never really recovered from there, to b honest. They went on to lose to Inter and Sociedad twice, and then in the rematch with the Italians, they played out a dramatic 3-3 draw.

There’s something to be said for going out in style, and we’d like to think that these two sides will want to put on a show for their fans. After all, they don’t know when they’ll be competing at this level again - and we’d like to think over 2.5 goals will be scored between them.