- SL Benfica are the form team with 4 wins in their last 5 matches and a 3-match winning streak.
- Hearts Of Midlothian FC have won only 1 of their last 5 and are currently on a 4-match losing streak.
- SL Benfica have scored 6 away goals in UEFA Europa League Qualification 2026 at an average of 2.00 goals per game.
Benfica are better than Hearts in all departments
SL Benfica are a much better football team than Hearts Of Midlothian FC, in all areas of the field. The Portuguese giants are currently 1.44 to come through in this one with Hearts at 7.5 and the draw at 4.1. Benfica are a step up in class from Hearts, who they destroyed 6-1 in UEFA Europa League Qualification 2026. That has clearly been a huge psychological hit for the Jambos, who need to bounce back instantly if they want to salvage anything from the tie.
Wouter Vrancken took over as Hearts' manager on the 1st July 2026 and is attempting to install a more proactive, high-work rate style of play, where they are compact when out of possession and then spring forward and attack in numbers when they win the ball back. It's a good philosophy in theory, but Hearts don't have a prolific or even prolific enough player at the pointy end of the team to really make this style work on a consistent basis.
Benfica, on the other hand, have all the ingredients to be an excellent passing team, with the ability to play at tempo when necessary. They play a more direct game than Hearts, with lots of vertical combinations, wide overloads and aggressive pressing, so they are almost guaranteed to have the hosts pinned back for large periods of the game.
Pavlidis is in hot form
Marco Silva has been in charge since the 1st July 2026 and his Benfica side are still playing with tempo, but they are a little bit more balanced and more intelligent with their possession than last season's team. Vangelis Pavlidis is their main man, with 4 goals in 2 matches in UEFA Europa League Qualification 2026, and he has scored 6 of Benfica's 19 goals in their last 5 games.
Hearts' sharpest edge has been Tom Renaud, who has 2 goals in their 4 goals across their last 5 fixtures, but Benfica look good for this and are unlikely to get dragged into a battle. Benfica's last 3 results are 5-1 H, 5-0 H, 6-1 H and Hearts' last 3 results are 0-2 H, 2-1 A, 6-1 A, which shows that Benfica are the more potent outfit. Across all competitions, Benfica's record reads 6 wins, 2 draws and 2 defeats in their last 10, whilst Hearts' record is 3 wins, 1 draw and 6 defeats.
Hearts will keep things tight at Tynecastle
The hosts have averaged 1.67 goals per game scored and 1.00 goals conceded at Tynecastle in their 3 home matches in all competitions, which suggests they are capable of being stubborn and keeping the score down at some point in this game. Benfica will travel with the intent to score a few goals and finish the tie off, so there is the potential for a more even game in this second leg than the first.
Over 2.5 goals at 1.47 and Both Teams To Score - Yes at 1.55 are the two best bets in this fixture, so this one could be a shootout. However, our main selection is Benfica to Win at 1.44 as we fancy the Portuguese side to take control of the fixture and finish the job off on Thursday evening.
