Benfica vs. Maccabi Haifa 9/6/22 UEFA Champions League Soccer Pick, Predictions, Odds

Benfica and Maccabi Haifa face off on Tuesday in a Group H UEFA Champions League game at the Estádio da Luz.

Benfica currently sits in 1st place in the Primeira Liga having picked up 15 points in five games. It has been a perfect start to the season, but now they turn their attention to advancing out of this group. Benfica’s last game against Vizela was on Friday, and they were able to pick up a 2-1 victory. Even though they gave up a goal, the game wasn’t ever really close, and they were dominant. They finished the game with 28 shots, six shots on goal, and 74 percent of the possession. Heading into this game, Benfica has some injury issues at center-back. Joao Victor and Lucas Verissimo are both dealing with injuries, and they probably won’t be able to go in this game. John Brooks was a transfer, and he is expected to make his debut with the team in this game. 

On the other side of this matchup is Maccabi Haifa, and they currently sit in second place in the Israeli Premier League, having picked up nine points in three games. Their last game was on Saturday against H. Beer-Sheva, and they actually fell behind in the second minute. They fought back though and scored a goal in the 39th and 92 minute on the way to the victory. Haifa appears to be pretty healthy coming into this game, but they are expected to be without Raz Meir and Mahmoud Jaber who are both not quite ready to come back yet from injury. 

This is a tough group, and the loser of this game is going to have some major issues getting out of the group stage. Benfica has been so dominant to start the season, and they are going to put a ton of pressure on the Maccabi Haifa defense. Their defense is going to have no answer, and Benfica will score at least a couple of games. Look for the Benfica defense to also lockdown, and they will win this game -1.5.