SL Benfica vs. Boavista 7/4/20 Primeira Liga Soccer Pick, Odds, and Prediction

SL Benfica is welcoming Boavista to Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica in round 30 of Portuguese Primeira Liga.

Benfica is really going on my nerves with their bad and inconsistent game as of late. In their last two Primeira Liga games, Benfica has conceded 6 goals, scored 3 goals, and lost both of those games. With these two losses, Benfica is 6 points away from the top of the Primeira Liga, in second place with 64 points, and with only 5 games left, I’m afraid their chances of catching up are close to zero. In their last match against Maritimo on the road, Benfica was dominant with 69% of ball possession, 7 shots on goal, 11 corner kicks, and 88% of the correct passes. Even though Benfica has created a lot of good chances, their offense failed, while their defense just wasn’t focused, and Benfica has lost this game 2-0. Vinicius has scored 17 goals for Benfica, while Pizzi added 15 goals and 8 assists. Grimaldo and Taarabt are both injured and will not be in the lineup. Benfica is a good team, most likely the best in the Primeira Liga, but they haven’t been playing well since the restart, and it will cost them the title. Benfica can’t afford to lose another game if they want to even have a chance at winning the first place.

Boavista has been solid since the restart, and they have won 3 of their last 4 games in the Primeira Liga. During this stretch, Boavista has conceded 5 goals, while scoring 5 goals as well. Boavista hasn’t been overly good in the attacking end and they scored only 24 goals in 29 games, but their defense has been good with only 29 conceded goals. With 38 points, Boavista is safely outside the relegation zone, in 9th place. Tavares is Boavista’s top goalscorer with only 4 goals, while Bueno added 3 assists. In their last Primeira Liga match against Santa Clara, Boavista has had 46% of ball possession, 2 shots on goal, 4 corner kicks, and 75% of the correct passes. This was a solid home game for Boavista, and in the end, Boavista has won this match 1-0. There are no injuries or suspensions in Boavista, but Costa and Mateus are both in danger of being suspended if they conceded one more yellow card. I think this 9th place is the maximum of what we can expect from Boavista, and I would even expect they will drop a few spots until the end of the season, but Boavista is safe and will stay another season in the Primeira Liga.

Boavista hasn’t won any of their last 4 games against Benfica, while Benfica has played 5 home games in a row without a win. When playing at home, Benfica has not lost to Boavista in their last 11 games. It’s clear that Benfica is the better team here, but I have been backing them for a few weeks now, and I was wrong. Benfica can’t afford to lose another game, and I don’t think they will. I will side with Benfica one more time.