Romanian minnows are looking for the first points in their maiden Champions League campaign after losing to Basel in Switzerland. Benfica, on the other hand, completely outplayed mighty Manchester United and were very unlucky to get just one point from the game, but will, nevertheless, try to build on that performance and bring all three points from Romania.

Poor start for Otelul

Having finished last season as surprise winners of the Romanian championship, Otelul Galati earned the right to compete with Europe’s top teams as they gained a place in Champions League group stages without having to play in the qualifying rounds. It appears that the Romanians are already struggling to cope with the pressure of expectations as their recent results are nowhere near as impressive as last season. The mere fact that Otelul currently sit in ninth place in the league table proves that they are far from desired form, with 4:0 home defeat to CFR Cluj proving that something is wrong in Dorinel Munteanu’s squad. After losing their Champions League tie to Basel, Otelul recorded back to back wins over weak Vointa and Oltchim, but then could only muster a goalless draw Mioveni, one of the weakest sides in Romanian top flight. All things considered, the hosts clearly lack the quality and experience needed to match a side like Benfica.

Defender Adrian Salageanu is suspended after receiving a red card against Basel, and he is the only absentee at the moment.

Benfica outclass Manchester United

Having already shown a massive potential last term, when they managed to reach Europa League semi-final, Benfica were expected to make the step up this season and prove their credentials in Europe’s top competition. After eliminating Twente in the Champions League play-off, the Eagles shone against one of the top European sides, having completely outclassed in-form Manchester United at their La Luz. One point was probably less than they deserved with a scintillating performance, but there are no doubts everybody at the club were happy that the team managed to be on par with such an illustrious opponent. Jorge Jesus’s side continued the rich vein of form with 4:1 win over Academica before playing out an entertaining 2:2 draw with fierce rivals Porto. The Eagles are now brimming with confidence before the trip to Romania and they have every reason to feel optimistic before the match with struggling Otelul.

Apart form Joan Capdevila, who is not registered for the competition, Jorge Jesus will have fully fit squad to choose from.

Verdict

Otelul Galati are clearly one of the weakest sides in the competition and seeing they are largely struggling at the moment, I just can’t see how they are going to match in-form Benfica. The Eagles are flying high after the confident performance against Manchester United and they are expected to record a comfortable win in Romania.

Our prediction: Benfica with -1 Asian handicap

Odds: 1.88 (22/25)

Bookmaker: 188BET