Women's Champions League: Benfica vs Arsenal. H2H, line-ups and match prediction — October 16, 2025
SL Benfica
Arsenal Women
On October 16, in the second round of the Women's Champions League group stage, Benfica will face last season's Champions League winners, London giants Arsenal. Dive deeper into the teams and check out our match prediction below.
Read also: Roma vs Barcelona prediction and betting tips 15 Оctober 2025
Match preview
Last season's Champions League winners have had a tough start to 2025: after opening the league campaign with two wins, Arsenal went three games without victory—two draws against Manchester United (0-0) and Aston Villa (1-1), plus a defeat away to Manchester City. Twice, the Gunners came from behind, but conceded a third goal in the 88th minute and couldn't recover—final score 3-2. In round six, Arsenal got back on track, beating Brighton 1-0 at home. After six rounds, the team has 11 points and sits fifth in the table, five behind perennial champions Chelsea.
In the Champions League opener, Arsenal faced serial winners Lyon. Despite an early goal, Arsenal couldn’t withstand Lyon’s growing pressure, conceding twice between the 18th and 23rd minutes. The first half ended with intense action but no further goals. After the break, Lyon dominated possession and peppered the Arsenal goal with shots, but couldn’t extend their lead. The match ended with a 2-1 victory for the visitors.
Benfica, after four rounds in the Portuguese League, top the table thanks to a superior goal difference: the Portuguese powerhouse has scored 17 goals, conceded just four, and collected 10 points—level with Sporting. Their wins came against Guimarães (5-1), Damaiense (8-0), and Valadares (4-1). The only draw was in the opening round: Racing Power managed to withstand Benfica’s pressure, finishing with a goalless stalemate.
In their 2025/26 Champions League debut, Benfica traveled to Juventus. Despite Souza’s sixth-minute opener, Juventus equalized through Salvai in the 22nd minute and took control of the game. After the break, possession was nearly even, but the Turin side looked more dangerous in attack and made it count: Salvai again found the net in the 86th minute, sealing a 2-1 win for Juventus.
Probable line-ups
Benfica: Pauels, Amado, Costa, Gomes, Lund, Sousa Alves, Cameirao, Gasper, Davidson, Silva Sobrinho, Meller
Arsenal: Van Domselaar, Fox, Reid-Gavin, Catley, McCabe, Smith, Little, Leongard-Monum, Kelly, Russo
Match facts and head-to-head
- This is the first-ever meeting between these teams
- Benfica have won three of their last four matches
- Arsenal have won just one of their last five matches
Prediction
Despite the gap in quality, I believe Benfica can put up a real fight and challenge Arsenal. My prediction: both teams to score — YES at 2.0
