6th Aug. UEFA Champions League - Nice VS Benfica Prediction
UEFA Champions League - Nice VS Benfica
Match Time:07-08-2025 03:00 Thursday (GMT+8)
Football Livescore | Match Prediction & Tips
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OGC Nice
OGC Nice, coached by Franck Haise, enters the third qualifying round as Ligue 1’s 5th-placed team in 2024-25, starting their official season with this match. Their pre-season was solid, with four wins, one draw, and one loss in six friendlies, including a 2-1 victory over Sheffield United, averaging 1.8 goals scored and 0.8 goals conceded, per. Key players include Evann Guessand, Terem Moffi, and new signing Ali Abdi, with a probable 4-3-3 lineup: Bulka; Clauss, Bombito, Dante, Abdi; Ndombele, Rosario, Sanson; Cho, Guessand, Moffi. Nice’s strengths are their defensive solidity (3 clean sheets in 6 friendlies) and attacking options, but their lack of competitive matches and integration of new signings like Jonathan Clauss are concerns. They aim to leverage home support at Allianz Riviera (sold out, 36,178 capacity) for a first-leg advantage, with a UEFA Europa League league phase spot guaranteed if they lose.
SL Benfica
SL Benfica, led by Roger Schmidt, is in strong form, unbeaten in their last five competitive matches, including a 4-2 win over Santa Clara to start the 2025-26 Primeira Liga season. They bypassed earlier rounds as Portugal’s runners-up, with no Champions League qualifiers played yet, per. Pre-season included a 2-0 win over Brentford, averaging 2.0 goals scored and 1.0 goal conceded. Key players include Evangelos Pavlidis, Andreas Schjelderup, and João Mário, with a probable 4-2-3-1 lineup: Trubin; Dedić, António Silva, Otamendi, Dahl; Rios, Barrenechea; Aursnes, Schjelderup, Akturkoglu; Pavlidis. Benfica’s strengths are their attacking depth and European experience (reached FIFA Club World Cup quarter-finals in 2025), but injuries to David Neres and doubts over Ángel Di María are concerns, per. They seek an away result to set up the second leg at Estádio da Luz on August 12.
Head-to-Head
Nice and Benfica have no prior competitive meetings, per. Matches between French and Portuguese sides in UEFA competitions average 2.3 goals, with 50% over 2.5 goals and 60% both teams scoring (BTTS).
Predicted Score: OGC Nice 1-1 SL Benfica
This first-leg clash on August 6, 2025, at Allianz Riviera, Nice, at 9:00 PM CEST (3:00 PM EDT), is a sell-out, broadcast on beIN SPORTS and streamed via UEFA.tv and Sofascore, though fans must pay €7.95 for PPV, per. Nice’s Guessand and Moffi face Benfica’s Pavlidis and Schjelderup, with Nice’s home form tested by Benfica’s attacking quality and experience, per. Benfica are slight favorites (+150 odds) over Nice (+180), with a draw at +220, per. Trends (Nice: 50% over 2.5 goals; Benfica: 60% in pre-season) and betting tips favor BTTS at 1.63 odds, per. Referee Espen Eskås may issue cards in the 22°C evening if Benfica’s physicality rises. The winner faces Feyenoord or Fenerbahçe in the play-off round. Nice may score through Moffi, with Pavlidis likely netting for Benfica. Nice’s home edge and defensive setup balance Benfica’s attacking threat, pointing to a draw
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