FIFA Club World Cup: Boca Juniors Vs. Benfica – Preview, Lineups, Our Tips | The Sporting Base
[google-translator]

FIFA Club World Cup: Boca Juniors vs. Benfica – Preview, lineups, our tips

June 16, 2025

FIFA Club World Cup: Boca Juniors vs. Benfica – Preview, lineups, our tips

It’s the very first time Argentine giants Boca Juniors have ever played Portugal stalwarts Benfica, and with Bayern Munich seemingly destined to make it out of Group C as table-toppers, this may be one of the most important matches each plays in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup group stage.

Here’s the Sporting Base’s guide and insights for this all-important Group C match-up.

How to watch


[the_ad_group id=”13706″]


Expected lineups

  • Boca Juniors (4-3-1-2): Marchesín, Blondel, Battaglia, Costa, Blanco, Belmonte, Delgado, Zenón; Palacios, Merentiel, Giménez
  • Benfica (4-3-3): Trubin, Araújo, Otamendi, Silva, Carreras, Luis, Kökçü, Aursnes, Di Maria, Pavlidis, Aktürkoğlu

Boca Juniors vs. Benfica prediction

Bruno Lage turned Benfica into one of the title threats in Portugal again, with his side pushing eventual Liga Portugal champions Sporting all the way to the final day; a two-point gap eventually decided the race. Of particular note is Vangelis Pavlidis, who was scoring for fun and netted 29 times through the team’s campaign.

That said, The Sporting Base is tipping Boca Juniors to stage an upset at Hard Rock Stadium, especially considering veteran coach Miguel Angel Russo has returned to helm the club for a third time. Russo loves defending deep, drawing in his opposing teams, and then hitting them on the counter-attack to eek out a 1-0 victory when it matters.


[the_ad id=”135862″]


Even better if Boca Juniors can bring Edinson Cavani to bear — the Uruguayan superstar is racing the clock to play, but should be ready come the first whistle.

(So too key defender Ayrton Costa being there; a U.S. immigration mix-up nearly ruled him out.)

Make no mistake: Boca is walking away with three points (or heck, even one) would be an exhilarating upset, but it’s one in the realms of possibility, especially if boisterous Argentinian fans turn out in force in the U.S. competition’s early days.

Tell Us What You Think Below

July 9, 2025

Club World Cup: PSG vs Real Madrid – Preview, lineups, our tips

Paris Saint-Germain have another match that could be seen as a "grand final before the grand final," with the winner in this semifinal now earning the right to face Chelsea in the 2025 Club World Cup Read More

July 8, 2025

Club World Cup: Fluminense vs. Chelsea – Preview, lineups, our tips

Fluminense's glorious run continues in the 2025 Club World Cup, and if this Sporting Base writer's predictions come true, we could have one more grand twist that will see the Brazilian hype train Read More

July 5, 2025

Club World Cup: Real Madrid vs Dortmund – Preview, lineups, our tips

Real Madrid have so far stayed undefeated at the 2025 Club World Cup under Xabi Alonso's command, and with Kylian Mbappé back and up to speed after a 1–0 win over Juventus, the defending champs Read More