União de Leiria vs Benfica II: match statistics

Benfica II sit 3rd, while União de Leiria are only 14th, and the gap is also reflected in their recent form: the visitors have won 3 of their last 5 matches and averaged 1.8 points per game. In their last five appearances, the hosts suffered 4 defeats, scored just 4 goals and conceded as many as 10, averaging 2 goals conceded per match. Benfica II have also scored 4 goals in their last 5 matches, but their defence has allowed only 5 goals—twice fewer than Leiria’s backline. This season, the visitors opened with a 1:0 victory while keeping a clean sheet, whereas Leiria lost their opening match 0:1. The advantage in the table, a more stable defence and a significantly better recent record all point to a Benfica II win.

The BTTS - No pick is supported by the league’s low-scoring profile, with both teams scoring in just 33% of matches and the average standing at only 1.89 goals. Benfica II recorded BTTS in just 20% of their last five matches, while União de Leiria did so in 40%, providing no strong confirmation of a goal from both sides. Both teams have recently averaged just 0.8 goals per match, with only 4 goals each across their five outings. Although the xG from the last five matches stands at 1.41 for the home side and 1.39 for the visitors, Leiria has kept a clean sheet in 100% of their home matches so far, making the most likely scenario one in which at least one team fails to score.

The early-season data is very limited, but União de Leiria won their only league match 1:0, while the league-wide average currently stands at just 1.89 goals. In their last five matches, Leiria averaged 0.8 goals scored and 2.0 conceded, whereas Benfica II scored 0.8 and conceded 1.0 goal per game. At the same time, the quality of the chances created across the last five appearances is similar: xG stands at 1.41 for the home side and 1.39 for the visitors, supporting a scenario of around 2.20 goals rather than an open, high-scoring game. The hosts had Over 2.5 goals in 3 of their last 5 matches, but Benfica II did so in only 1 of 5, making Under 3.5 goals the most resilient choice.

The strongest signal comes from current form: União de Leiria have lost 4 of their last 5 matches and scored an average of just 0.8 goals in those games, while Benfica II have won 3 of their 5 fixtures. The first half should be cautious, as Benfica II were level at the break in 50% of their recent matches, with their average goals scored before half-time standing at just 0.25. Leiria, however, conceded an average of 1.4 goals after the interval in their last five appearances, while scoring just 0.2 goals during this period. The visitors have also been relatively defensively stable after half-time, keeping a clean sheet in 75% of those second halves and conceding an average of 0.5 goals. This pattern most strongly supports an HT/FT draw/Benfica II win, i.e. X/2.