Europa League
2013-04-25 - Fenerbahce vs Benfica
A Sports Betting Pick by Cruiser
Football : Europa League Semi-final (First leg)
Venue: Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey
Thursday 25th April 2013 – Kickoff time 21:05
Match Preview :
Aykut Kocaman’s side are now preparing for the arrival of Benfica after a hard fought battle over Lazio in their last match. This will be Fenerbahce's first ever semi-final appearance and they do have a mixed record against Portuguese opposition. They will not want to be reminded of their only previous encounter which was a 7-1 aggregate defeat at the hands of Benfica in a European Cup two-legged tie back in 1975.
But this time we can expect a much closer battle on the pitch. Fenerbahce will want to have a repeat of their 2-0 home win over Lazio in the previous round and will be counting on their fans to provide that hot and hostile atmosphere inside the stadium. No doubt the 2-0 win over Lazio in the first leg helped their cause in the second leg with the big advantage carried to Italy and they will be hoping to do the same thing here tonight.
Kocaman who took over as manager back in 2010, has led the club to a league title that season and a Turkish Cup victory the following season. Kocaman, who was a former striker at the club, in an eight-year spell (1988-1996) that included two league titles and now he wants to add the Europa League to the list of his achievements at the club. They still need to overcome Benfica and their opponents in the final if they hope to achieve that feat, but their die hard fans will be hoping that their good run in this competition can continue.
Meanwhile for Portuguese side Benfica, they come into this match after the derby win over Sporting Lisbon by 2-0 and they are still unbeaten in the Portuguese Superliga this season. And as it is now, Jorge Jesus’ side simply seem like they cannot lose with their style of football at the moment. Their last defeat came in the Champions League back in October. English Premiership side Newcastle came close to beating them in the last round, but they managed to get a late goal to get the draw in that match.
Benfica knows this trip will not be easy but as they have scored over 100 goals this season, they will not fear the Turkish side. However, question remains if Benfica can withstand the pressure of battling on three different competitions, as they are attempting to go for the treble - Portuguese Superliga title, UEFA Europa League title and their Portuguese Cup as well.
Form:
Fenerbahce - D W L
Benfica - W D W
Team News :
Fenerbahce Team News :
No absences.
Benfica Team News :
The likes of Luisao and Enzo Perez will miss the match.
Prediction:
Go for Fenerbahce and accept the 1/4 ball for them not to lose this match.
The Pick :
Fenerbahce 1-1 Benfica
Gooner’s Statistical Value Bet
Take Fenerbahce and accept the 1/4 ball here.
