Will Roger Schmidt make a successful debut at the Estadio da Luz?

Slowly but surely the wheat is being separated from the chaff in the international qualifiers. This week, the first legs of the third qualifying round are on the agenda, and in the battle for the top flight, some renowned teams are now getting into the action. Four games are on the agenda on the placement route, with Roger Schmidt’s debut at the Estadio da Luz being particularly interesting. On Tuesday evening at 9pm, Benfica Lisbon and Midtjylland from Denmark face each other

As participants on the placement path, the teams already have a ticket for the group stage of the UEFA Europa League firmly in their pockets, but for the traditional Portuguese club in particular, missing out on the top flight would be a bitter disappointment.

Tuesday night’s home match will be the first competitive game of the season, so the Danish visitors have the advantage of three league games on their side. However, this does not change the home side’s favourites, with bookmakers offering odds of around 1.30 on a home win between Benfica Lisbon and Midtjylland.

In addition to the certainly existing qualitative advantages with the Portuguese, the home bonus also speaks in favour of the Red Eagles. At the Estadio da Luz, a number of top teams have had to return home without having achieved anything. Anything other than a home win would indeed be a surprise.

Benfica Lisbon – Statistics & current form

After an utterly disappointing 2021/22 season, Lisbon will be hoping to return to their former glory this term, with a 17-point deficit to big rivals FC Porto and only third in the table a major disappointment and resulting in major upheaval.

Not only was there a change on the coaching bench, but there was also a flurry of comings and goings in the player sector. The multi-million dollar departure of Darwin Nunez to Liverpool allowed the club’s management to force this upheaval. David Neres, Enzo Fernandez, Joao Victor and Alexander Bah are expected to bring the Red Eagles back to the top.

Bearish preparation

The first leg of the qualifiers is also the new coach’s first must-win game, as the domestic championship does not begin until next weekend with a home match against Arouca. Results in friendly matches are often to be taken with a grain of salt, but looking at the results in recent weeks, strong form is evident in the Red Eagles.

Benfica Lisbon have played five official test matches in July 2022, winning every game. Absolutely impressive is the fact that in four of the five games, the bet on handicap success was also correct. With Nice, Fulham or Girona, the Portuguese played test matches against well-known opponents. Only against Newcastle United did the Schmidt team have to settle for a 3:2 victory.

17 goals in five preparatory matches underline the outstanding qualities of the forward play in the post-Darwin Nunez era. Roger Schmidt is also a coach who pushes an extremely offensive style of play with high pressing. The players have already internalised this philosophy and therefore between Benfica Lisbon and Midtjylland the prediction on the handicap win will be a good option.

Predicted line-up of Benfica Lisbon:
Vlachodimos – Grimaldo, Verissimo, Otamendi, Bah – Weigl, Joao Mario – Rafa Silva, Enzo Fernandez, David Neres – Yaremchuk

Last matches played by Benfica Lisbon:

Friendly club matches
27/07/2022 – Benfica 3 – 2 Newcastle

22/07/2022 – Girona 2 – 4 Benfica

18/07/2022 – Benfica 5 – 1 Fulham

16/07/2022 – Benfica 3 – 0 Nice

09/07/2022 – Reading 0 – 2 Benfica

Midtjylland – Statistics & current form

Unlike the Portuguese, the Danish cup winners have long been in match rhythm and already have five competitive games under their belts. The runners-up have already had to survive a knockout round in qualifying and have also played three matches in the league. However, the first interim result in the still young season is by no means satisfactory and those responsible have already drawn conclusions early on.

Only a few hours after FC Midtjylland happily defeated AEK Larnaca on penalties in the second qualifying round, the club announced the departure of head coach Bo Henriksen. A draw and a defeat in the league as well as the disappointing performance against the Cypriots caused Henriksen’s early dismissal. In 55 games as FCM coach, he eventually averaged 1.89 points. The current co-coach Henrik Jensen will take over on an interim basis.

Convincing performance after coach’s dismissal

At least after the first performance in the post-Henriksen era, the club management seems to feel vindicated for the decision. On Friday night, the away game at Odense BK was on the agenda and the team showed a complete change under the new leadership. A dominant performance, a lot of enthusiasm for the game, pure efficiency and a three-man forward who got on the scoresheet.

A better dress rehearsal before the extremely difficult game in Portugal would not have been possible than in the 5:1 victory. In particular, summer newcomer Anders Dreyer (arrived from Rubin Kazan for five million euros) is a great asset. He has three goals and two assists in his first five games in charge, and the 24-year-old winger is therefore also a hopeful candidate for the Estadio da Luz.

Despite the five goals on Friday, even a goal in Portugal would be a small success. The comparison of the personnel speaks for itself, especially since the Danes have to do without one of their best players, creative genius Evander. The 24-year-old is not available due to a torn muscle fibre, but he is the only absentee for the FCM.

Predicted line-up of Midtjylland:
Olaffson – Sviatchenko, Juninho, Dalsgaard – Dyhr, Onyedika, Soerensen, Andersson – Isaksen, Kaba, Dreyer

Last matches played by Midtjylland:

Superleague
29/07/2022 – Odense BK 1 – 5 FC Midtjylland

Champions League Qualifier
26/07/2022 – AEK Larnaca (3)1 – 1(4) FC Midtjylland

Superleague
22/07/2022 – FC Midtjylland 1 – 3 Silkeborg

Champions League Qualifier
20/07/2022 – FC Midtjylland 1 – 1 AEK Larnaca

Superleague
15/07/2022 – FC Midtjylland 1 – 1 Randers FC

Benfica Lisbon – Midtjylland Direct comparison / H2H record

For the first time, the two teams will face each other in the third qualifying round for the UEFA Champions League. The Portuguese top club with new coach Roger Schmidt has only had good experiences with Danish teams in the past, with a total of 14 matches in the database, twelve of which ended in a Benfica victory and only two of which resulted in a draw. Midtjylland’s record against Portuguese teams is much more negative (one win, one draw, four defeats).

Benfica Lisbon – Midtjylland tip

On paper, the first task for Roger Schmidt as Benfica coach should probably not be an insurmountable hurdle, in fact it can almost be described as a compulsory task. The difference in quality is undeniable, and the Danes’ performances so far – despite their success at the weekend – have been extremely manageable.

In the meantime, the Schmidt team has been very strong in preparation and has rushed from victory to victory. Therefore, the betting on the handicap victory between Benfica Lisbon and Midtjylland is also being considered.

Another very interesting option with slightly higher odds between Benfica Lisbon and Midtjylland is the forecast on HT/FT 1/1. Benfica Lisbon is considered to be extremely strong at home, has impressively proven its offensive qualities with 17 goals in five games and will be interested in setting the course for the play-off round early on. As such, an early lead is likely for the heavy favourites, so a six-unit stake is recommended for this bet