Benfica will face Auckland City in the second match of the group stage of the Club World Cup after the Portuguese side’s opener ended in a 2-2 draw against Boca Juniors. Despite conceding the opening two goals of the match, Benfica were able to make a comeback in the second half with the goals scored by the Argentinians Angel Di Maria and Nicolas Otamendi. On the other hand, Auckland City’s opener was a crushing 10-0 loss to Bayern Munich, the worst margin of defeat in FIFA Club World Cup history. Several part-time footballers got the chance to line up against their idols, and despite the final score, goalkeeper Conor Tracey made a handful of brave stops among his seven saves. Auckland City’s one shot came from substitute Angus Kilkolly in the 80th minute. Here are storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch Benfica vs. Auckland City, odds
- Date: Friday, June 20 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
- Location: Inter & Co Stadium — Orlando, Florida
- Live stream: Watch on DAZN (for free)
- Odds: Benfica -20000; Draw +7000; Auckland City +1000
Possible lineups
Benfica XI: Trubin; Dahl, A. Silva, Otamendi, Carreras; Aursnes, Luis, Sanches; Akturkoglu, Pavlidis, Schjelderup.
Auckland City XI: Tracey; Murati, Boxall, Den Heijer, Mitchell, Lobo; De Vries, Garriga, Ilich, Manickum; Bevan.
Last meeting
This will be the first official meeting between the two teams.
Player to watch
Angel Di Maria, Benfica — Despite the fact the Argentinian winger is not expected to start on Friday, all the eyes will be on him in case he plays some minutes, as it will be the last tournament with Benfica before he rejoins his boyhood club, Rosario Central. At 37, Otamendi led both teams with 90 touches. Both Otamendi and Angel Di Maria recorded a joint team-high two shots and each scored a goal.
Storyline to watch
Can Auckland City avoid another disaster? After losing 10-0 in the opening match against Bayern Munich, Auckland City are hoping to avoid another defeat like the one in the match against the German giants. There are high chances to see them out of the tournament on Friday, as another defeat would mean they are eliminated from the Club World Cup.
Prediction
We can expect another defeat for Auckland City in the second game of the tournament, while Benfica need to score as many as possible before meeting Bayern Munich in the last match of the group stage. Pick: Benfica 5, Auckland City 0.
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