Champions League Qualification: Nice vs Benfica 06/08/2025

Betting on Cards

One of the most exciting clashes of the Champions League third qualifying round features French side Nice, who finished fourth in Ligue 1 last season, and Benfica, now coached by Pavlidis, the manager who recently lifted the Portuguese Super Cup with a win over Sporting.

Nice has yet to play an official match this summer, has kept almost the same squad, and is clearly aiming to make a stronger impression in Europe after a disappointing Europa League group stage campaign last season.

Benfica, on the other hand, is traditionally an ambitious club. The team has undergone significant changes in personnel, but the coach remains the same, and they are now in the process of building a new, cohesive unit. In the Super Cup against Sporting, they showed just how tactically disciplined and calculated they can be – the match ended with 10 yellow cards.

The French side will need to match that same intensity if they want to compete, and it’s worth noting they have some card-prone players in the lineup, such as 42-year-old veteran defender Dante.

The referee for this match is Englishman Michael Oliver, who is known for not holding back with cards, in all five Champions League matches he officiated last season, he went over the card line.

Given the odds, the physical playing style of both teams, and Oliver’s refereeing tendencies, this card betting pick holds both value and logic, definitely worth the risk.