Hearts vs BenficaPrediction, probable lineups, recent form & season stats

Hearts host Benfica at Tynecastle with qualification long out of reach. At the Estadio da Luz it finished 6-1 to the Portuguese in front of 60,776 spectators: Rodrigo Silva on 3, Araujo on 23, Pavlidis from the spot on 42, Prestianni on 59, Duran on 87 and Schjelderup on 94, also from a penalty. Renaud scored for the Scots on 72. A Benfica side in scoring form The Portuguese had already overturned a 1-0 defeat at St. Gallen with a 5-0 home win crowned by four Pavlidis goals. Across two home games in this campaign they have scored eleven. A Hearts side rebuilding The night in Lisbon was the club's heaviest European defeat on record. Two of the six goals came from penalties, the second awarded by VAR for a McEntee handball on 94 minutes. Wouter Vrancken took over in the summer after Derek McInnes left for Rangers, and spoke openly about avoidable spot-kicks. Last season Hearts finished second with 67 goals scored and 34 conceded, numbers far removed from what was seen in Portugal. The verdict: Benfica remain favourites, in a different context The scenario asks for a Portuguese win across the ninety minutes. The gap in quality is huge, but five goals of margin mean Benfica will rotate heavily and Tynecastle pushes its team. I read it around 55%. My take: the Portuguese still ahead, in a less intense game than the first leg.