- Recent Benfica form: SL Benfica are 5 wins, 3 draws and 2 defeats in their last 10 matches in all competitions.
- Recent St. Gallen form: FC St. Gallen are 7 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats in their last 10 in all competitions.
- In-form Benfica player: Rafa Silva has scored 4 of Benfica's 9 goals in their last 5 games in all competitions.
Benfica will edge it, but it won’t be a walk in the park
Odds and prediction
Benfica are the clear favorites for this game at 1.24, while St. Gallen are 5.6 and the draw is listed at 5.6. The odds make perfect sense on paper and for once we don't plan to deviate from the obvious view that Benfica should win, although we will shade it in St. Gallen's favour.
Manager and form
It has been a solid, if not exceptional start for Marco Silva since his appointment as SL Benfica head coach on 1 July 2026, with the Eagles winning five of their ten games and losing just two. However, they did bounce back with a 2-0 home win over Villarreal CF before a 2-1 away loss to St. Gallen, so they do seem to have a good thing going against the Swiss side and should fancy their chances in Portugal.
Tactical approach
There is a feeling that Benfica can take a step forward in the second leg, however, as their approach in the early matches under Silva has been to build in a structured fashion, using overloads wide and patient pressing to try and take control of the tempo. That should suit a game against an opponent who are at their best on the counter-attack.
St. Gallen will have a go
Enrico Maassen has led St. Gallen in a similar direction since his arrival on 1 July 2024, with the Swiss side setting up in a pragmatic 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-4 formation that looks to stay compact and make possession-based teams uncomfortable with disruptive pressing and fast breaks.
St. Gallen have won three and lost two of their last five matches, which is a little streaky but is exactly the sort of form that can make them dangerous opponents. They have lost 6-3 away to Lyon, lost 0-3 at home to Norwich City and then returned to winning ways with a 2-1 victory away to Benfica, so this is a team with the ability to be brilliant and frustrating in equal measure.
St. Gallen’s away form should be respected
The visitors have won five, drawn none and lost just one of their six away games across all competitions, so we believe their road form should not be underestimated. St. Gallen have scored 13 goals in six away matches, an average of 2.17 per game, so they have plenty of counter-attacking punch.
A home advantage would normally suggest that Benfica are a lock to win this second leg, but St. Gallen's win in the first game means that this clash is still wide open. Benfica have conceded just five goals in five home games across all competitions and should be able to keep a solid base on Thursday, so we will take Benfica to edge this one but not in a landslide.
- Both Teams to Score – No at 1.55 and Under 2.5 goals at 2.18 look appealing options given how closely matched these two teams are likely to be on Thursday, with the tempo of the game likely to be a crucial factor as the team that dictates it owns the night.
- Aliou Balde leads the way for St. Gallen with 1 goal in 1 UEFA Europa League Qualification 2026 game, and he appears to have the sharp edge in the big games.
- Rafa Silva has been Benfica's end-product man of late, however, so we'll take the Portuguese marksman to get on the scoresheet at Estadio da Luz.
