In the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 duel between Benfica and Ajax, the final score was 2-2. As there’s no away goal rule anymore in UEFA competitions, it means that both teams start from scratch. Whoever wins on Tuesday at Johan Cruijff Arena is going to advance to the next UCL stage.
So, who is it going to be? Online sportsbooks think Ajax, as evident from the fact that they’re giving odds in the ballpark of -250 on this team winning. However, Benfica has been in a fabulous run lately with four wins and two draws in the past six matches. Can the Portuguese champ prolong its good streak? Let’s find out!
Ajax vs Benfica Odds (Champions League, 2022)
All odds are per bet365 as of March 11.
1X2
Ajax-250Draw+400Benfica+600
Over/Under
Over 2.5-303Under 2.5+240
Where and When to WatchDate: Tuesday, March 15Time: 3:00 PM EDTLocation: Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam, NetherlandsWatch: CBSSportsbooks Favor Ajax for a Reason
The main reason why online bookmakers think Ajax will beat Benfica is that this team has some fantastic players on the roster. In fact, it seems Ajax hasn’t been this strong in many years. This goes especially for Ajax’ attack, where they got plenty of incredible players.
Sebastien Haller is their top scorer with 31 goals in 31 matches played in all competitions. Eleven of those happened in the Champions League, which makes him the leading scorer in this competition. Tall, strong, and great in the air, he is going to be the main threat to Benfica’s goal on Tuesday.
The good news for Ajax fans is that even if Haller fails to score, there are plenty of others who can step 7BALL in. Their captain Dusan Tadic is certainly one of those. The 33-year-old has been fabulous this season, especially in important matches such as this one. The same goes for Steven Berghuis, Davy Klaassen, and other key Ajax players.
Benfica Playing Well Lately
It seems that Benfica’s players have switched to the top gear. These guys are without a loss since early February, playing great in all the competitions they’re taking part in. Unfortunately, it might be already too late for them to do well in some competitions.
For instance, in the Portuguese Primeira, Benfica is third in the standings, with 10 points fewer than the table leader (Porto). They’re also out of the Portuguese Cup after losing to Sporting CP.
This means that the Champions League might be their only chance to achieve glory this season. Unfortunately, they failed to take their chances in the first leg, which was played on their turf. At home, Benfica is famously good. On the road, however, that’s not the case.
The proof is that in the group stage of the 2021-22 Champions League, Benfica had zero away wins. They played 0-0 with both Barcelona and Dynamo Kyiv, while Bayern Munich destroyed them 5-2 at Allianz Arena.
Picks: Ajax to Win; Over 2.5 Goals
