- St. Gallen head into the first leg in very good form, winning seven, drawing one and losing only two of their last ten matches in all competitions.
- Benfica come into the game in pretty decent shape too, winning six, drawing three and losing only one of their most recent ten matches in all competitions.
- FC St. Gallen have a high-energy, vertical unit that can disrupt opponents, but Benfica's ball control and wider rotations should see them through.
High-flying St. Gallen could test Benfica
St. Gallen bring some good form into this first-leg clash of the 2026 UEFA Europa League qualification and they look in good shape after a series of impressive results across all competitions. St. Gallen have won seven, drawn one and lost two of their previous ten and have four wins from their last five, following up a superb 1-0 victory away to FC Vaduz with a 6-3 blowout defeat to French giants Olympique Lyonnais.
St. Gallen are a team with a fast tempo, playing a tight 4-3-1-2 system that allows them to counter-press with fury when they lose the ball. In Lukas Goertler, they have the spark that can light the fuse on a potential away win, with two of his goals helping St. Gallen find the net six times across the last five matches.
Benfica should have the quality to edge the first-leg
Benfica come into the clash as favourites, but the odds of 53/100 don't offer much value. The visitors have been so-so across their previous five, drawing two and winning two of their matches following a 2-2 home draw with SC Braga and a 1-2 defeat to Flamengo RJ last time out.
Marco Silva has his team playing a more controlled style that is still very positive, with the Portuguese team using the ball well to carve up their opponents with combinations up front and full-backs supporting. Benfica have been very solid away across all competitions, going unbeaten in five, with three wins and two draws.
Both teams can get through at Kybunpark
Benfica should be able to get the better of St. Gallen over two legs and have been on a roll away, averaging 2.00 goals per game and scoring ten away goals across their current unbeaten run in all competitions.
Our overall game prediction is a Benfica win, but the fact that St. Gallen are such big outsiders at 473/100 and the draw comes in at 3/1, makes us think that their high tempo and aggressive pressing could make this a competitive, end-to-end night.
Over 2.5 goals at 11/20 and both teams to score at 31/50, both look excellent value for a game that should see plenty of chances at both ends of the pitch.
