Confidence: 63%
Benfica vs Académico de Viseu Prediction, Betting Tips & Booking Code (Aug 9)
Benfica begin their Liga Portugal campaign against newly-promoted Académico de Viseu at the Estádio da Luz and are hoping to start their domestic season positively this Sunday.
Benfica to make few changes following big European win
Only light rotation is expected from Benfica after they easily beat Hearts 6-1 in the Europa League on Thursday night. Marco Silva has little reason to rest key players, given that the tie is effectively over.
The Lisbon giants always look to develop their own youngsters and sell them on for big fees. António Silva became the latest homegrown talent and departed last weekend, with the centre-back completing a €25m move to Bournemouth. That has created an opportunity for Tomás Araújo at the heart of the defence.
Despite the summer addition of Jhon Durán, Vangelis Pavlidis remains the first-choice striker. He excelled with 22 goals in 33 Liga Portugal matches last term.
Benfica predicted lineup vs Académico de Viseu (4-2-3-1): Trubin; Bah, Araújo, Lenglet, Dahl; Barreiro, Barrenechea; Silva, Sudakov, Kaminski; Pavlidis.
Académico de Viseu hoping Clóvis can step up
Académico de Viseu were promoted after a second-place finish in Liga Portugal 2 last season. They should have a full squad available at the Estádio da Luz.
They added defensive midfielder Andro Babić on Thursday. He’s unlikely to be a starter this weekend, with Luís Silva and Soufiane Messeguem set to keep their places in front of the back four.
Brazilian André Clóvis should lead the line. He scored 23 goals in 34 league outings last term, but netted just once in the Portuguese top flight for Estoril in 2021/22.
Académico de Viseu predicted lineup vs Benfica (4-2-3-1): Lavin; Robinho, Barcelos, Correia, Costa; Silva, Messeguem; Gohi, Kahraman, Zamora; Clóvis.
Benfica vs Académico de Viseu Prediction
- Safe Tip: Académico de Viseu to score under 0.5 goals
- Odds: 1.5 (22Bet)
- Correct score prediction: Benfica 3-0 Académico de Viseu
- 22Bet Booking Code: 3RRB2
Key stats:
- Benfica conceded just 0.74 goals per 90 minutes in the league last term.
- They kept a clean sheet in 41% of their 2025/26 Liga Portugal home games.
- Académico de Viseu failed to score in three of their final four matches last season.
The step up in quality will be too much for Académico de Viseu against a Benfica side who didn’t lose a single 2025/26 league game. Marco Silva will look to build on the solid defensive foundations left by José Mourinho.
The newcomers are at a disadvantage in terms of match fitness compared to their opponents. While Silva’s team have already played three competitive fixtures in the Europa League, Os Viriatos have been reliant on friendlies, scoring just three times in three outings.
Given that, backing the underdogs to score under 0.5 goals with a 22Bet bonus of up to 122 $/€ is the way to go.
Benfica vs Académico de Viseu Prediction, Value Tip
- Value Tip: Benfica -2.5 Handicap
- Odds: 2.015 (22Bet)
- 22Bet Booking Code: 51SB2
It’s three straight wins for Benfica, with all of those victories coming by margins of four or more goals. Silva is already having a positive impact, and their squad are deep enough to cope with the quick turnaround following the Hearts clash.
Backing the hosts with a -2.5 Handicap offers value against Académico de Viseu, who are not used to facing opposition of this quality.
Verdict: Académico de Viseu to score under 0.5 goals (1.5) — Benfica 3-0 Académico de Viseu