FC Arouca vs Benfica Prediction: The Eagles Have Dominated This Fixture

FC Arouca will welcome Benfica to the Estadio Municipal de Arouca in the 12th round of the Primeira Liga. 

Let's have a look at the latest Portuguese Primeira Liga predictions between FC Arouca vs. Benfica, probable lineups, match facts, and betting odds for you to consider!

Note: Odds are subject to change at any time!

FC Arouca

Form: DLLDL

It has been a season filled with unfulfilled expectations and mounting frustrations for FC Arouca. The home team has won two of their last 11 games, leaving them stranded in 16th place within the relegation play-offs. However, they are one adrift of safety, which serves as a glimmer of hope they can still turn things around.

Arouca were dumped out of the Taça de Portugal, losing 2-1 against Farense in the fourth round on Saturday. This comes after grinding out a goalless draw against Famalicao in the league, which extended their winless run to five games (L3, D2). It's safe to say their morale has plummeted to an unprecedented low.

Probable Starting XI

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Mantl; Esgaio, Popovic, Fontan, Dante; Simao, Fukui; Jason, Sylla, Rodrigues; Araujo

Benfica

Form: WWWWW

Since manager Bruno Lage took over the reigns in September following Roger Schmidt's departure, Benfica has been a revived team. A resurgence in form currently sees the away team perched in third place with 25 points and are eight points adrift of the top spot.

Their first competitive post-international break saw them annihilate Estrela Amadora in a 7-0 thumping in the fourth round of the Taca de Portugal. They followed up on this result with a hard-fought 3-2 victory against Monaco in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday. In their last league match, they defeated FC Porto 4-1 at home to extend their winning run to six matches.

Probable Starting XI

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Trubin; Bah, Araujo, Otamendi, Carreras; Aursnes, Luis; Di Maria, Kokcu, Akturkoglu; Pavlidis

Match Facts

• FC Arouca have won one of their last five home matches in the Primeira Liga.
• Benfica are currently on a five-match winning streak when playing away against FC Arouca.
• FC Arouca averages 0.6 goals per game when playing at home, and Benfica averages 1.5 goals per game when playing away.

Head-To-Head

In the last 18 meetings, FC Arouca have won 1 times, Benfica have won 16 times, and there have been 1 draw, with the goal difference being 51-8 in favor of Benfica. 

Expert Betting Tips

It has been a real struggle for FC Arouca this season. Coming into this clash, they have lost their last 11 matches against Benfica and have failed to score in seven straight games. That doesn't bode well for their chances here.

By the looks of things, Benfica are outright favorites, and I feel they deserve claiming all three points away from them. When you look at their form in the past weeks, it has been nothing short of impressive, and personally, for me, I expect to see a commanding victory from them. As such, I recommend supporting them to cover the Asian handicap spread of -1.5. This has been the case in their last seven matches in this fixture.

• Asian Handicap - Benfica -1.5 for 1.75
• Both Teams To Score - No for 1.75
• Total - Over 3 for 1.81