S.L. Benfica Picks - 2018-19 UEFA Champions League Lines

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S.L. Benfica UEFA Champions League Odds

The most decorated team in Portuguese history is Benfica. Benfica have won an incredible 79 domestic trophies, securing 36 league titles, 26 Portuguese Cups, seven league cups, seven super cups, and three championships. They have won four of the last five league titles, and they have had quite a bit of success on the European front too.

Benfica were the second team to ever win consecutive Champions League titles. They were the team of the 1960s, besting Barcelona for their first Champions League title in 1961 and topping Real Madrid for their second crown in 1962. The victory over Real Madrid was one of the most thrilling Champions League finals ever, with Benfica besting Real Madrid 5-3.

They made it to the Champions League final three other times during the 1960s, but they came up just short in all three subsequent appearances that decade. Benfica blew a second-half lead against AC Milan in 1963, lost a heartbreaker to Inter Milan in 1965, and dropped the 1968 final in extra time to Manchester United.

Benfica have not won a European title since that point, but they have come close quite a few times. They made it to the semifinals of the Champions League in 1972 and the semifinals of the UEFA Cup Winners Cup in 1981, and then Benfica finished runner-up three times over the next eight years. Benfica lost to Anderlecht in the 1983 Europa League Final, lost in penalties to PSV Eindhoven in the 1988 Champions League Final, and lost 1-0 to AC Milan in the 1990 Champions League Final.

Odds on S.L. Benfica to win the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League: +10500

S.L. Benfica in European Football

Benfica finished second in the Portuguese league last season, sending them down the qualification path in order to make it to the Champions League. They received a tough draw in their third qualifying round match, getting drawn against Fenerbahce. Benfica managed to get by the Turkish giants 2-1 on aggregate to set up a match with PAOK for a spot in the Champions League Group Stage. After a 1-1 draw in Lisbon, Benfica were nervous about their chances, but they dominated the leg in Thessaloniki 4-1.

During the summer transfer window, Benfica made a number of moves. They grabbed forward Nicolas Castillo from Mexico, midfielder Gabriel from Spain, center back Colon from Argentina, and goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos from Greece.

Benfica have been drawn into a group with two other teams that qualified through the playoff in AEK Athens and Ajax, with Bayern Munich being the third team in the group. They are the favored to be the second team out of the group, and that would put them in the knockout rounds for the third time in four years.

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