FC Porto, Braga and Benfica had successful runs in the group stage of their European campaigns and they now await Monday’s draw to see who they will face in the knockout phase of the Champions League and Europa League.
Portugal’s three representatives had one thing in common; they all finished second in their groups, which was good enough to get into the next round, but not good enough to be a seeded team in the draw.
As such, expectations regarding future progress are tempered by the strong possibility of landing powerful opposition in the next round. That said, the results the trio put together in the group phase were highly impressive – just two defeats in a total of 18 games – which will give the Primeira Liga teams confidence in their next international encounter.
Porto continue in Champions League
Drawn alongside Manchester City, Marseille and Olympiacos, things were not supposed to be easy for the Dragons in Europe’s premier club competition, but Porto certainly made it look that way.
Sérgio Conceição’s men won four of their six games, with a draw and a loss in the other two matches, and eventually qualified by a margin of 10 points. They will certainly be of interest to backers in the knockout phase following their impressive group run. With betting on the Champions League extremely popular, offers are there to be found. Opening a new account to qualify for a free bet credit is one of the most popular offers you will find anywhere online.
Having finished runners-up in Group C, Porto will next play one of the teams that won their respective group in the knockout phase, such as last year’s finalists Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain. Other possible opponents include multiple-time winners of the competition Real Madrid, English duo Liverpool or Chelsea or Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus. The easiest draw would appear to be German outfit, Borussia Dortmund.
It is a tough ask come what may, but betting on Porto could provide good value to punters wanting to back an upset when the last-sixteen draw is revealed to us.
Benfica looking to go far in Europa League
Benfica are pushing for top spot in Portugal and coach Jorge Jesus has made no secret of his desire to take the Eagles far in this competition after their heavy investment in the summer transfer market.
They finished second in their group behind Scottish side Rangers, finishing well ahead of Standard Liege and Lech Poznan and remaining unbeaten over the six games, winning three and drawing the other three. That was more than enough for them in the end as they qualified by eight points and will go into the knockout phase with confidence.
In terms of which Portuguese club could go the furthest in Europe, the wise money would be on Benfica, who have a little bit more quality and more pedigree than Braga and will almost certainly face less daunting opposition than Porto.
And if they can avoid the big guns in the draw, Benfica could go on a run in this competition and perform well. It cannot be forgotten that Jorge Jesus took the Lisbon team to the final of the Europa League twice in his first spell at the club.
Can Braga achieve success in the Europa League knockouts?
Of the three teams in Europe from Portugal, Braga are certainly the club with little or no weight in terms of expectations on their shoulders. Carlos Carvalhal’s side have looked solid and consistent this season, but the fact they are chasing the big three in the league betrays the fact they are a little way short of the traditional Portuguese powerhouses.
A 2-0 victory over Zorya Luhansk on the final day of the group stage completed an impressive group stage campaign, with four wins, one draw and one defeat, but it was not quite good enough for them to overtake Leicester at the top. A last-minute equaliser conceded against the English side in the home match proved costly in the end. If Braga had won that match they would have won Group G and been seeded for the round-of-32 draw.
As it is, Braga, like Benfica, will have to cross their fingers and hope to avoid being paired against the likes of Manchester United, Roma, Napoli, Tottenham Hotspur or AC Milan to maximise their chances of making progress.
The group stage of both European competitions worked out very well for Portugal’s three clubs. Let’s hope that the knockout round can work out just as well for them and we see more success. For now, all eyes will be on the draw to be held in Nyon, Switzerland, on Monday 14 December.
