Marco Silva’s time in charge of Benfica got off to a woeful start with last week's 2-1 defeat at St Gallen but given they are still 1/5 to progress from their UEFA Europa League qualifying tie, the faith is still there that he can turn things around in Lisbon.
Beating Benfica at home has proved a tricky task for some top teams of late and, while St Gallen were impressive on Swiss soil, things are likely to pan out differently in the Portuguese capital.
Benfica v St Gallen Tips Summary
Best Bet - Benfica to win & under 3.5 goals @ 6/5
Alternative Bet - Rafa Silva anytime goalscorer @ 4/5
Bet Builder - Under 11 corners, Alexander Bah 1+ shots, Aliou Balde 1+ shots on target @ 6/1
Benfica v St Gallen Prediction
Best Bet: Benfica to win & under 3.5 goals @ 6/5
There is no denying St Gallen deserve their lead in this tie - they had more shots, shots on target, corners and expected goals in the first leg of this Europa League tie - but following up in Lisbon looks a difficult task.
Benfica controlled possession last week, having 61 per cent of the ball, and they should do the same while also being more proactive this time, meaning a talented attack will get plenty of chances.
Add in some strong 2026 home form which has seen the Eagles beat Real Madrid and draw with Porto at Estadio da Luz, as well as the return of stars like Andreas Schjelderup and Fredrik Aursnes, and Benfica become hard to oppose.
St Gallen will look to sit in and frustrate their hosts, so a free-scoring frenzy is unlikely.
Benfica should eventually find a way through, though, and can edge a cagey Europa League encounter.
Alternative Bet: Rafa Silva anytime goalscorer @ 4/5
Benfica have new striker Jhon Duran available and will welcome Schjelderup, Aursnes and Dodi Lukebakio back after their World Cup exploits, but it is likely to be one of the old guard who steps up on Thursday.
Rafa Silva was the only Eagles player to score at St Gallen last week and that came as no surprise given the form he hit after rejoining the Portuguese giants in January.
The diminutive Portuguese schemer scored five goals in just 917 Primeira Liga minutes last term and his wealth of experience makes him the standout anytime-scorer pick again.
Benfica v St Gallen Bet Builder Tip
Under 11 corners
Alexander Bah 1+ shots
Aliou Balde 1+ shots on target
Pays 6/1
The state of this tie means a midfield battle is on the cards, so the corner count should stay low.
St Gallen will sit deep and force Benfica to create chances, meaning there should be fewer flag-kicks than the 11 awarded last week.
St Gallen’s low block should provide ample opportunity for Benfica right-back Alexander Bah to fly forwards and he will be a big threat down the wing.
The Danish speedster got three shots off in the first leg and is likely to let fly at least once on Thursday.
At the other end, Aliou Balde will provide the visitors’ threat on the counter. His pace will prove useful on the break and the Guinean, who scored once and registered two shots on target last week, should test or beat Anatoliy Trubin again.
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Key Match Stats
Benfica have won seven of their last 10 home matches, losing only once
St Gallen conceded nine goals in their final two pre-season outings
New Benfica boss Marco Silva saw six of his final seven games with Fulham finish with fewer than three goals
Both teams to score has landed in only three of the Eagles' last seven home matches
St Gallen won only one of their six games in the 2024-25 Conference League, their most recent European campaign
There have been an average of 7.3 corners per game awarded in the Swiss visitors' last three matches
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
