Benfica vs Aarhus Prediction

Benfica made a blistering start at the Estádio da Luz, with Rafa Silva opening the scoring inside two minutes to set the tone for a dominant Europa League play-off display. Leandro Barreiro doubled the advantage on 31 minutes despite having picked up an early yellow card, before Aarhus briefly threatened a response when Sebastian Jørgensen pulled one back on 36 minutes. Any hopes of a Danish comeback were swiftly extinguished, however, as Vangelis Pavlidis converted a penalty deep into first-half stoppage time to restore Benfica's two-goal cushion and send the sides into the break at 3–1.

The second half was a largely comfortable affair for the hosts, who controlled proceedings with 70% possession and registered 12 shots on target to Aarhus's solitary effort. Benfica managed the game efficiently through a series of substitutions, with Barreiro, Pavlidis, and Rafa Silva all withdrawn before the final whistle.

The result was rarely in doubt, and the pre-match AI model — which had rated a Benfica win most likely at 76% — proved correct as the Portuguese side advanced with authority.