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

• When: Tuesday, 8am (AEST)
• Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Florida
• Watch Every Game Free On DAZN By Clicking Here

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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.

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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.

• Our prediction: Boca Juniors 1–0 Benfica
• Goalscorer tip: Miguel Merentiel
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