Neither of these two teams have performed as expected so far this season. Benfica sit 4th on the Primeira Liga table following their 1-1 draw with Moreirense on Sunday while despite thrashing Leeds 4-2, Arsenal occupy 10th spot in the Premier League.
Benfica were expected to top Group D ahead of Rangers or Standard Liege but had to settle for the runners-up position. Lech Poznan finished last in the group, as expected, and even though they didn’t lose a game, Benfica finished 2pts behind their Scottish opponents.
☺️ Good morning, Gooners - waking up with that W! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/OctOO1MYei— Arsenal (@Arsenal) February 15, 2021
☺️ Good morning, Gooners - waking up with that W! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/OctOO1MYei
Arsenal finished 1st in Group B with a 100% record but that is just what was expected of them. The Gunners may well have had the easiest group draw of them all as they went up against Molde, Rapid Wien and Dundalk, scoring 20 goals and only conceding 5.
Benfica have secured three wins, two draws and have only suffered one defeat in their last six matches, while Arsenal have won two, drawn one and have lost three during that same period of fixtures.
Both teams have scored in each of Benfica’s last two outings as well as in three of Arsenal’s last five matches.
Over 2.5 goals have been scored in each of those three Arsenal games, so you can see why goals are expected in Portugal this week.
Jardel and Andre Almeida will both miss out for the home side this week due to injury, while could be missing Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, Thomas Partey and Kieran Tierney for the trip to Portugal, three important first-team players.
Everything points towards both teams scoring and over 2.5 goals being produced in the 1st leg. Benfica have the home advantage and form in their favour, but Arsenal are yet to lose in the Europa League this season.
Each of the three non-competitive meetings between these two clubs have ended with both teams scoring and over 2.5 goals being produced and with that in mind, 2-2 looks like the most viable option for the final scoreline on Thursday.