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Place: Portugal. Lisbon. Estádio da Luz.
Date: on the 07th of August, 2018 (Tuesday)
Match start: 20:00 (GMT+1)
Tournament: Champions League. 3rd qualification round. 1st matches.
Benfica (the head coach Rui Vitória)
According to an old tradition, in the third qualification round of the Champions League the favorites join the game and to be exact, vice-champions of many top national leagues which takes in the rating of UEFA associations places from the sixth up to the fifteenth.
We present to your attention the first match of new vice-champions of Portugal and Turkey which will pass on the 7th of August on the well-known Lisbon arena Estádio da Luz. Of course, the hosts are presented as Benfica. According to the results of thirty four calendar matches of the last season Rui Vitória ‘s team has gained 81 points (+25=6-3). It is the second result of national championship after Porto (88 points).
Thus, the Eagles in the status of the new champion of Primeira Liga have gained the direct berth into an autumn group stage of the Champions League. And Benfica as the new vice-champion of the country, is starting the way on the tournament net from the third round of qualification. Today “the Lisbon Eagles” are very passive in the transfer market, but, perhaps, before its will finish the bosses of Estádio da Luz will please the fans with certain strengthening of the squad.
Fenerbahçe (the head coach Phillip Cocu)
Eighteen best teams also participate in the modern championship of Turkey. And according to the results of last season the Yellow Canaries have also taken the second place, however, Fenerbahçe, in comparison with Benfica, has nine points less – 72 (+21=9=4). However at once at the end of the season 2017/2018 Aykut Kocaman has been dismissed and the coach-champion of the Dutch PSV Phillip Cocu became the new team coach.
But, soon has happened one more surprising event! After Phillip Cocu’s arrival the best-known forward of the national team of Holland of the last decade Robin Van Persie has at once moved from the Turkish Fenerbahçe into a camp of the grandee of native Eredivisie – Feyenoord, Rotterdam.
Bookmaker coefficients on the match Benfica vs. Fenerbahçe
Jonas, Haris Seferović, Franco Servi, Eduardo Salvio against Giuliano, Roberto Soldado, Nabil Dirar, Mathieu Valbuena! Many leaders of the quintet of the most top national leagues would envy such number of super players of vice-champions of Portugal and Turkey. But experts consider the hosts of Estádio da Luz to be the pronounced favorite of the first match: Benfica – 1.56, Fenerbahçe – 6.23.
Match prediction
The well-known phrase which has arisen at the turn of two centuries “the Turkish heat” is very relevant even today. All grandees of the European football perfectly know how terrible can the away matches in Istanbul with three historical whales of the Turkish football – Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş be. Of course, the Portuguese team of Rui Vitória will make every effort to achieve a solid handicap in the first home game. And then the return visit to Istanbul can become less heavy.
