Miguel Solomons
Dailysports's expert
Late in the evening on April 9, we are set to witness the first leg of the Portuguese Cup semi-final as Tirsense hosts Benfica. The match kicks off at 21:45 Central European Time, and I suggest a bet on the individual total of one of the teams.
Tirsense vs Benfica: Match facts and head-to-head
- Tirsense has not won in the last two matches and has won two out of the last five games.
- Benfica has won four matches in a row.
- Benfica has scored at least one goal in six consecutive matches, and in the last four games, they have scored three or more goals.
- Tirsense has a scoring streak of four matches.
- In the last eight away matches, Benfica has lost only once — to Barcelona in the quarterfinals.
- Benfica has won 43% of this season's matches without conceding a goal and has lost only 9%.
- Benfica scores more than 1.5 goals in 80% of the current season's matches.
- Tirsense and Benfica have never played against each other in history.
Tirsense vs Benfica: Match preview
Tirsense has become a true sensation in this Portuguese Cup campaign. They represent the Third Division of Portugal. They started their journey from the 1/64 finals and defeated Vieira 2-0, then Caldas 2-1, Brito 1-0, Rebordosa 1-0, and in the quarterfinals, they beat O Elvas 2-0. Indeed, a historic result for this team. Their greatest achievement was reaching the Round of 16 in the 2011/12 season. Although in their group of the Third Division of Portugal, they are in eighth place, just four points away from the relegation zone.
Benfica sits atop the Portuguese League, having accumulated 68 points in 28 rounds, leading the second place by two points. Although they have not won the Portuguese Cup for a while — last in the 2018/19 season. Last season they were eliminated in the semi-finals, and their last final appearance was in the 2020/21 campaign. In the current campaign, the Eagles defeated Braga 1-0, SC Farense 3-1, Estrela Amadora 7-0, and Pevidem 2-0. Their form is currently very strong: four consecutive wins. And in each of these matches, they scored at least three goals.
Probable lineup
- Benfica: Trubin, Antonio Silva, Otamendi, Alvaro Carreras, Tomas Araujo, Kökçü, Florentino, Aursnes, Pavlidis, Aktürkoğlu, Di Maria
Prediction
There is a clear favorite in this game — Benfica. Of course, Tirsense will try to fight and continue their fairy tale, but the Eagles are in phenomenal form, scoring abundantly and rarely losing in recent matches. Therefore, I bet on Benfica's individual total of more than 3 with odds of 1.64.
