Benfica Vs. AS Monaco Prediction: As Guias' Ambition Advances To The Last 16 At Estadio Da Luz

JAKARTA - Benfica and AS Monaco will meet again in the second leg of the Champions League play-off on Tuesday night 18 February or Wednesday morning WIB at the Estadio da Luz. With a narrow advantage of 1-0 from the first meeting at Stade Louis II, the Portuguese giant has a big advantage in aiming for tickets to the round of 16, where they can face Barcelona or Liverpool.

Vangelis Pavlidis' single goal in the first leg made the difference in a tight match in France. The Greek striker showed his composure when he found the ball past goalkeeper Radoslaw Majecki to bring Benfica home with a win. Monaco, on the other hand, were further complicated by Al-Musrati's red card after the Libyan midfielder received a second yellow card for asking the referee to punish the opponent.

Benfica is currently at its best, both in domestic and European competitions. A narrow win over Monaco is part of a series of five consecutive wins won by Bruno Lage's side, including a 1-0 win over Santa Clara in the Primeira League on the weekend, which keeps them overshadowed by Sporting CP at the top of the standings.

At home, Benfica often looks sharp. In the last four games at the Estadio da Luz, they scored at least three goals in each game. However, they also had some difficulties at home in the Champions League, winning only one of their last eight home games in this competition.

Meanwhile, Monaco have had a poor away record over the past few months. Adi Wayler's men have lost four consecutive away games and have won only one win in their last 10 games beyond Stade Louis II.

However, Les Monegasques showed their sharpness in front of goal while destroying Nantes 7-1 in Ligue 1 last weekend. Mika Biereth, a young striker who just joined Sturm Graz, performed outstandingly by scoring a hat trick in the landslide victory.

Now, Monaco are faced with a difficult mission in Lisbon. They had to score at least one goal to force extra time, but their poor record against Benfica never won in the previous four meetings made this task even more difficult.

Benfica will lose defensive midfielder Florentino who is suspended due to accumulated yellow cards in the Champions League. In addition, Angel Di Maria and Tomas Araujo suffered an injury in the first leg and are expected to miss this match.

Injuries also haunt the Benfica squad, with Alexander Bah (ACL), Fredrik Aursnes (lutut), Manu Silva (ACL), and Renato Sanches (dots) also not available. On the other hand, Bruma had to undergo suspension after being shown a red card in the Europa League last season while still playing for Braga.

In Monaco's camp, Al-Musrati had to be absent due to his red card in the first leg, while Denis Zakaria and Vanderson were also suspended due to the accumulation of yellow cards.

In addition, Aleksandr Golovin (adductor), Jordan Teze (unknown), and Folarin Balogun (bahu) are also on the injury list, leaving Monaco even less option in midfield and front lines.

However, Monaco got additional power with Christian Mawissa's return from suspension. With Vanderson and Teze absent, Thilo Kehrer will most likely turn to right-back position, while Takumi Minamino can get the chance to start after performing brilliantly with one goal and two assists against Nantes.

Benfica performed outstanding at home, while Monaco had a disappointing away record. Although Monaco demonstrated the sharpness of the attack against Nantes, losing some key players due to injury and suspension could make it difficult for them to create chances in Lisbon.

With the advantages of the first leg and impressive performance at home, Benfica was favorite to secure victory and advance to the last 16.

Benfica (4-4-2):Trubin; Santos, Otamendi, Silva, Carreras; Amdouni, Kokcu, Barreiro, Akturkoglu; Pavlidis, Cabral

Monaco (4-2-3-1): Majecki; Kehrer, Salisu, Mawissa, Henrique; Camara, Coulibaly; Aklibbie, Ben Seghir, Minamino; Biereth

Score prediction: Benfica 2-0 Monaco