Benfica vs Burnley

Benfica and Burnley are set to face off against each other at the Estádio do Restelo in their first-ever encounter.

Fresh off recovering Primeira Liga supremacy for the first time since 2018/19, Benfica have gone from strength to strength across four summer friendlies, winning each game by an aggregate score of 11-2, most recently dispatching Celta Vigo 2-0. Their first pre-season match-up yielded a 2-0 triumph over Burnley’s fellow English rivals Southampton, a victory that forms part of Benfica’s eye-catching 11-match unbeaten streak (W9, D2). Roger Schmidt’s team must be full of confidence, considering they netted 2+ goals in nine of those 11 outings. It’s also worst noting the ‘Eagles’ kept a clean sheet in 55% of those fixtures, confirming they’re equally impressive at both ends of the field.

In the meantime, Burnley won back Premier League promotion in remarkable fashion last term, becoming only a fourth-ever club to hit a 100-point milestone in the Championship. Led by ex-Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany, they steamrolled to the Championship title in 2022/23, leaving second-placed Sheffield United ten points behind after only losing three of their 46 league games (6.5% loss rate). However, the ‘Clarets’ endured a faltering start to their summer preparations, going down 2-0 at the hands of Genk last week. That defeat ended Burnley’s three-game winning run and marked their first scoring blank since a goalless draw against Reading in mid-April.