Ajax vs Benfica Prediction and Odds | Champions League 3/15/22
Ajax vs Benfica Betting Preview
WagerTalk soccer handicapper Kevin Dolan offers his Ajax vs Benfica betting preview for Tuesday, March 15 in the UEFA Champions League. After a pulsating 2-2 draw in Lisbon in the first leg three weeks ago, they return to Amsterdam on Tuesday with a chance to progress into this season’s Champions League quarterfinal round.
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| Tuesday, March 15 | UEFA Champions League Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Ajax: | -250 |
| Benfica: | +650 |
| Draw: | +400 |
| Total: | 3.5 Goals (Odds Above Courtesy of DraftKings) |
| Game Time: | 4:00pm ET / 1:00pm PT |
Ajax vs Benfica Analysis
These two teams have been hard to split over historical head-to-heads, with three of their previous four competitive matchups against one another ending up in stalemate’s.
Benfica Seeing Improvement
After failing to qualify for the Champions League proper last season, Benfica surprisingly reached the last 16 of this year’s tournament after edging out perennial knockout round team Barcelona in the group stage.
Since their 2-2 draw against Ajax three weeks ago, Benfica has gone on a three-match unbeaten run, winning two games and drawing one, although many observers felt that poor 1-1 draw against 14th-place Vizela last Friday was due to ‘As Aguias’ having one eye firmly fixed ahead on this huge upcoming midweek clash against the Dutch champions.
Ajax Facing Domestic Fight This Season
With Ajax having to dig deep to get past a resilient Cambuur side last Friday, it’s been a really competitive season over in the Eredivisie this year, a far cry from last season where ‘de Godenzonen’ took the title at a canter with a 16-point cushion at the top of the table.
This season, Ajax is facing a much stiffer test domestically from PSV Eindhoven in particular, who are coming off their fifth-straight win and sit just two points behind Ajax in the table.
With Ajax having to face third-place Feyenoord this weekend while PSV Eindhoven welcome in relegation struggling Fortuna Sittard, that only adds to the drama ahead of this one as Ajax arguably have a lot more distractions ahead of this tie than Benfica do.
Ajax vs Benfica Prediction
While Ajax are the huge favorites here, with all the distractions going on at the minute for them domestically, plus the fact Benfica have historically done well against them also, the +350 on Benfica simply to qualify here doesn’t look the worst wager to make in this game.
However, we have to believe Ajax will show up in this one and take care of business at home against Benfica on Tuesday night.
At home, Ajax have been an absolute monster this season, averaging 3.77 goals per game in Johann Cruyff Arena on average compared with just 2.15 goals per game on the road.
The Ajax to win and Both Teams to Score prop is going off at a +130 and that’s the way we’re looking to play this one on Tuesday.
Benfica has failed to score in only one of their last eight games on the road across all competitions and we believe they get on the scoresheet here again against Ajax.
Take Ajax to win paired with the Both Teams to Score at +130 on Tuesday in their Champions League round of 16 clash against Benfica.
Interested in placing a bet on Tuesday’s Ajax vs Benfica clash in the UEFA Champions League? Caesars Sports is offering up to a $1,500 match bet for first-time deposits in New Jersey, West Virginia, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona, New York and Louisiana.
Soccer Betting 101
New to betting on soccer? Not familiar with all the wagering options, such as three-way betting and the Asian handicap? What stats should a novice soccer bettor focus on? What are some basic tips and strategies? Carmine Bianco and Nick Borrman joined Kelly Stewart to share some tips to novice soccer bettors.
WagerTalk Soccer Odds Screen
WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the moneylines, goal spreads and totals for all of this week’s UEFA Champions League games, including this Ajax vs Benfica showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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Meet the Author
‘The sharpest sports mind in Ireland’ is how one prominent newspaper dubbed Kevin Dolan after he became the first foreigner ever to win the World Series of Handicapping tournament back in 2015. “The Irishman” made his start wagering on GAA, football, soccer and boxing, all to immense success. Since becoming a professional bettor, he has since lit up the sports betting scene in the U.S. and abroad, winning two handicapping awards and writing a best-selling book on sports handicapping named ‘The Complete Guide to Sports Betting’.
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