Europa League · League phase, matchday 5 
Viktoria Plzeň vs Benfica: Match Preview & Stats
Our picks
Model predictions are published 48 hours before kick-off
To take in the latest form and rest days, the predictions for this match come out on . (If either team plays another match in between, they come out once that match is over.)
See today's ready predictions →Our record
Viktoria Plzeň: 1 of 3 right
Benfica: 7 of 7 right
Our result picks in each club's earlier matches on this site.
Match facts
- Competition
- Europa League, League phase, matchday 5
- Kick-off
- Venue
- Doosan Aréna, Plzeň
- Since last match
- Viktoria Plzeň: 5 days (1. Liga) · Lillestrøm (0‑1) Benfica: 3 days (Taça de Portugal) · Estrela da Amadora (2‑3)
- Next match
- Viktoria Plzeň: 2 days (1. Liga) later Benfica: 4 days (Liga Portugal) later
Last starting XI
Viktoria Plzeň 3-4-3
- 44 Wiegele
- 2 Paliscák
- 40 Dweh
- 98 Prebsl
- 4 Gabriel
- 17 Hrošovský
- 12 Červ
- 14 Doski
- 12 Sojka
- 80 Adu
- 99 Memić
Coach: Radoslav Kováč 
at Lillestrøm, 1-0 · Europa League · 5 Nov
Benfica 4-2-3-1
- 24 Soares
- 6 Bah
- 44 Araújo
- 2 Lenglet
- 26 Dahl
- 10 Sudakov
- 36 Palhinha
- 27 Silva
- 30 Echeverri
- 25 Prestianni
- 14 Pavlidis
Coach: Marco Silva 
at Estrela da Amadora, 3-2 · Liga Portugal · 8 Nov
Our predicted line-ups come with our picks, 48 hours before kick-off. Until then: each club's last starting XI.
Injuries and suspensions
Viktoria Plzeň
- DF Vaclav JemelkaInjured · Late November 2026
Benfica
- MF Leandro BarreiroInjured · Early July 2027
Players listed as injured, suspended or away with their national team, with their expected return.
Missing Players Impact
Viktoria Plzeň
Low impact Benfica
Low impact Share of team playing time and attacking output over the last 9 matches accounted for by unavailable players.
Tactical Profile & Play Quality (0–100)
Viktoria Plzeň Benfica Viktoria Plzeň Playing above results (positive regression candidate) Benfica Results above play quality (running hot) OptimaGoal 0–100 performance indices built from the last 9 matches before kick-off.
Game-State Scenarios & Goal Timing
Viktoria Plzeň
Benfica
Reaction to scoring or conceding first and goal distribution across the last 15 matches.
Key Attacking Threats
Viktoria Plzeň
- 1. FW Christophe Kabongo 1G · 0ATeam attack 10.0% Team shots 10.0%
- 2. MF Amar Memić 0G · 0ATeam attack 10.0% Team shots 15.0%
- 3. DF Adam Gabriel 0G · 0ATeam attack 9.0% Team shots 10.0%
Benfica
- 1. FW Gianluca Prestianni 4G · 4ATeam attack 18.0% Team shots 15.0%
- 2. FW Vangelis Pavlidis 5G · 1ATeam attack 14.0% Team shots 11.0%
- 3. FW Andreas Schjelderup 0G · 1ATeam attack 8.0% Team shots 7.0%
Top available players by share of team attacking production and shot volume over the last 10 matches.
Scoring trends
| Scoring trends | Viktoria Plzeň | Benfica |
|---|---|---|
| Over 1.5 goals | 9/10 | 9/10 |
| Over 2.5 goals | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Over 3.5 goals | 2/10 | 6/10 |
| Both teams scored | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Clean sheet | 3/10 | 3/10 |
| Failed to score | 1/10 | 0/10 |
| Goals per match (scored / conceded) | 1.6 / 1.4 | 2.6 / 1.0 |
Last 10 matches, all competitions, results after 90 minutes.
Form guide
Viktoria Plzeň
- D 1-1 vs
Sparta Prague (H) 1. Liga · 8 Nov - W 1-0 at Lillestrøm (A) Europa League · 5 Nov
- W 4-0 at Baník Ostrava (A) 1. Liga · 1 Nov
- L 1-2 vs Pardubice (H) 1. Liga · 25 Oct
- L 1-2 vs
Levski Sofia (H) Europa League · 22 Oct
Benfica
- W 3-2 at Estrela da Amadora (A) Liga Portugal · 8 Nov
- W 3-1 vs
Lech Poznań (H) Europa League · 5 Nov - W 1-0 vs
Alverca (H) Liga Portugal · 2 Nov - W 4-1 vs
Gil Vicente (H) League Cup · 29 Oct - W 2-1 at
Santa Clara (A) Liga Portugal · 26 Oct
Last five competitive matches before kick-off, all competitions, results after 90 minutes.
When the goals come
Viktoria Plzeň
- 1-15 minutes: 1 scored, 0 conceded
- 16-30 minutes: 0 scored, 1 conceded
- 31-45 minutes: 0 scored, 2 conceded
- 46-60 minutes: 0 scored, 2 conceded
- 61-75 minutes: 1 scored, 1 conceded
- 76-90 minutes: 1 scored, 1 conceded
Benfica
- 1-15 minutes: 3 scored, 0 conceded
- 16-30 minutes: 2 scored, 0 conceded
- 31-45 minutes: 1 scored, 1 conceded
- 46-60 minutes: 2 scored, 0 conceded
- 61-75 minutes: 1 scored, 2 conceded
- 76-90 minutes: 4 scored, 0 conceded
Goals in each 15-minute period, Europa League this season. Stoppage time counts with its half.
Top scorers
Viktoria Plzeň
| Player | G | A |
|---|---|---|
| Christophe Kabongo | 1 | 0 |
| Denis Višinský | 1 | 0 |
| Prince Adu | 1 | 0 |
Benfica
| Player | G | A |
|---|---|---|
| Gianluca Prestianni | 2 | 2 |
| Jhon Durán (1 pen) | 2 | 0 |
| Vangelis Pavlidis | 2 | 0 |
| Dodi Lukébakio | 1 | 1 |
| Georgiy Sudakov | 1 | 1 |
Goals and assists in the Europa League this season.
Corners and yellow cards
Viktoria Plzeň Benfica - 4.5 Corners won 5.0
- 3.0 Corners conceded 5.8
- 2.0 Yellow cards 3.5
- 2.0 Opponents' yellow cards 0.8
Per match in the Europa League this season. Average per club and match: 4.7 corners, 1.9 yellow cards.
Attack and defence ratings
Viktoria PlzeňBenfica0 to 100 against this season's Europa League clubs (100 = best). The rating is our model's long-run strength before this match: it uses the last three years and counts recent matches most, so a few results do not move it at once. Under each rating: this season's actual goals per match.
Head-to-head
Viktoria Plzeň and Benfica have not met in our records since 2010.
Table
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | Goals | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benfica | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 13:3 | +10 | 12 |
| 2 |  AFC Bournemouth | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11:2 | +9 | 12 |
| 3 |  Ferencváros | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11:3 | +8 | 12 |
| 4 |  Union St.Gilloise | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10:2 | +8 | 10 |
| 5 |  Juventus | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11:4 | +7 | 10 |
| 6 |  Olympiacos | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4:1 | +3 | 10 |
| 7 |  Bayer Leverkusen | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8:1 | +7 | 9 |
| 8 |  Beşiktaş | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 11:8 | +3 | 7 |
| 9 |  Dinamo Zagreb | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5:4 | +1 | 7 |
| 10 | Levski Sofia | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4:3 | +1 | 7 |
| 11 |  Sunderland | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4:4 | 0 | 7 |
| 12 |  NEC Nijmegen | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8:9 | -1 | 7 |
| 13 |  Lyon | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6:7 | -1 | 7 |
| 14 |  AZ Alkmaar | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7:4 | +3 | 6 |
| 15 |  Anderlecht | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6:3 | +3 | 6 |
| 16 |  OFI Crete | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5:4 | +1 | 6 |
| 17 |  Rennes | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4:3 | +1 | 6 |
| 18 |  Omonia Nicosia | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6:7 | -1 | 6 |
| 19 |  Torreense | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7:9 | -2 | 6 |
| 20 |  Real Sociedad | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 9:4 | +5 | 5 |
| 21 |  Crystal Palace | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 9:6 | +3 | 5 |
| 22 |  Hoffenheim | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6:6 | 0 | 4 |
| 23 | Sparta Prague | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6:6 | 0 | 4 |
| 24 |  Sturm Graz | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3:6 | -3 | 4 |
| 25 |  NK Celje | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5:9 | -4 | 4 |
| 26 |  Salzburg | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3:8 | -5 | 4 |
| 27 |  Celta Vigo | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4:6 | -2 | 3 |
| 28 |  Jagiellonia Białystok | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4:7 | -3 | 3 |
| 29 |  Milan | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4:7 | -3 | 3 |
| 30 | Viktoria Plzeň | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3:7 | -4 | 3 |
| 31 |  Marseille | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2:6 | -4 | 3 |
| 32 |  Celtic | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6:11 | -5 | 3 |
| 33 |  Hapoel Beer Sheva | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1:8 | -7 | 1 |
| 34 | Lillestrøm | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2:10 | -8 | 1 |
| 35 | Lech Poznań | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2:12 | -10 | 1 |
| 36 |  Ararat Armenia | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4:14 | -10 | 0 |
Our table from the results; the two clubs of this match are highlighted. Full table
Season projection
MembersWhere these two clubs are projected to finish in the Europa League: average points, likely range and chances.
| Club | Pts | Avg pts | Likely | Top 8 | Play-off round | Win it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Viktoria Plzeň | 3 | |||||
| Benfica | 12 |
For members
Every club's chance of every place, from our simulated seasons, updated daily.
Become a memberMore Europa League matches
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- Salzburg Ararat Armenia Our pick
- Celta Vigo AFC Bournemouth Our pick
Times are UTC.