Champions League 
/ Michael Lintorn / 05 March 2012 / Leave a Comment 
Benfica conceded top spot in Portugal to champions Porto on Friday night
"Benfica have won just one of their last four Champions League games, a 1-0 home victory over Romanian side Galati."
Michael Lintorn has examined the Opta stats and picked out four bets for Tuesday's Champions League games, in which he sees neither home side triumphing...
Milan are unbeaten in their last five Champions League away matches, drawing the last four
Arsenal built confidence ahead of this tie by winning at Anfield, but it must have been diminished as AC Milan thrashed Serie A's second strongest hosts Palermo 4-0 a few hours later. Another Opta trend lending itself to the draw is that the Gunners are unbeaten in 12 Champions League games at the Emirates.
In each of the previous five meetings between Arsenal and AC Milan (including European Super Cup), at least one has team failed to score
And while this insight might appear to contradict the above evidence for the draw, it is also worth noting that the two prior clashes between the pair in north London both finished 0-0, a statistic which doesn't exactly bode well for Arsenal's chances of pulling off an unlikely comeback.
Benfica have won just one of their last four Champions League games, a 1-0 home victory over Romanian side Galati
That was nothing to shout about either, as Galati exited the group stage without a point. Benfica's campaign has derailed recently with a four-match winless run, the latest blip a costly home defeat to Porto, so they can't be relied upon at odds-on against Zenit, who have never lost to a Portuguese club.
Benfica have scored at least one goal in each of their 11 games in Europe this season (including qualifiers)
This pearl suggests that even if this is the end of Benfica's Champions League challenge, they will net on their way out. That's a fair assumption given that the first leg finished 3-2, while the duo were involved in 2-3 and 2-2 fixtures over the weekend. Jorge Jesus' hosts have fired only two blanks all season.
Recommended Bets:
Back Arsenal and AC Milan to draw @ [3.75]
Back Both teams to score? No in Arsenal v AC Milan @ [2.42]
Lay Benfica at home to Zenit St Petersburg @ [1.73]
Back Both teams to score? Yes in Benfica v Zenit St Petersburg @ [1.85]
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