H2H: Zenit Saint Petersburg vs. Benfica Lisbon – Score prediction (02.10.2019)

Overview.

Zenit’s UEFA Champions League (UCL) opener brought a 1-1 draw after they won the first half 1-0, with both match goals arriving ten minutes either side of the break. That draw stood as one of four competitive matches from the last six to see them score first. By a quirk of fate, Zenit’s last UCL home match to date was against none other than Benfica. However, that March 2016 meeting saw them lose 2-1 after scoring first, with two goals conceded in the final ten minutes rendering their post-hour mark opener worthless.

Benfica themselves suffered a similar fate in their group stage opener for 2019/20, going down 2-1, with all of the goals arriving beyond the hour mark. The Eagles’ recent history away to top-seeded opposition in a UCL group is also poor, reading: P2, L2, losing both halves each time. Such dramatic scorelines are a rarity overall though, with five of Benfica’s last six UCL matches being settled either way by a margin of 1.5 goals or ending level. The last three matches in that category won/lost either way saw the decisive goal arrive beyond the 75th minute mark.

Match Info and Score Prediction.

Competition: EUROPE Champions League
Kick off: 02.10.2019, 19:00 UTC.
Venue: Gazprom Arena (Saint Petersburg).

Zenit	Draw	Benfica

Quick Facts.

Artem Dzyuba has averaged 1.25 goals per-match across Zenit’s last four UCL wins.

The Russian champions’ last two UCL group stage home wins have seen them win both halves.

Benfica striker Haris Seferović got the consolation on matchday one. All of his goals this campaign have been the third of their respective matches.

Across all competitions, three of Benfica’s last four games have seen the decisive goal arrive beyond the hour mark.

Zenit took 80% of the five total bookings in their UCL opener.

Pre-match League Table.

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