St. Gallen vs Benfica Prediction, Preview and Stats

Europe flag 2026/2027 Europa League, Europe
Kybunpark Thu, 23 Jul - 12:00 AM
Europa League
St. Gallen St. Gallen
Versus
Benfica SLB
KICKOFF : Thu, 23 Jul - 12:00 AM
2nd Qualifying Round Leg 1 of 2

CONTEXT

St. Gallen welcome Benfica to Kybunpark for the first leg of their Europa League second qualifying round tie. Benfica arrive as the clear stronger side according to underlying power metrics that show a 21-point edge over the Swiss hosts. Both teams lack recent domestic form records ahead of this international cup fixture in the 2026/2027 season. Set-piece data remains unavailable with low confidence indicators across both squads. The match represents an early test for St. Gallen against higher-calibre opposition in European competition.

TL;DR

  • Structural: Benfica hold a 21.2-point power advantage over St. Gallen in this Europa League qualifier.
  • Form: Neither side has recorded recent domestic form scores ahead of the fixture.
  • Squad: Benfica are identified as the stronger team entering the first leg.
  • Efficiency: Efficiency metrics are not available for either team in this matchup.
  • Transition: Transition data remains unavailable due to limited recent match information.
  • Set pieces: Set-piece analysis shows low confidence with proxy data applied for both teams.
  • xVariable: Power scores indicate Benfica at 88.17 compared to St. Gallen at 66.94.
  • Market: Projection split: St. Gallen 0% (Δ+0%) | Draw 0% (Δ+0%) | Benfica 0% (Δ+0%).
No standings statistics available.
No head-to-head records found.
0.5+ goals: 85%
1.5+ goals: 70%
2.5+ goals: 50%
3.5+ goals: 25%
Confidence: High (≥8 matches)

Quality vs Volume

Home: xG 1.8, Shots 12, xG/Shot 0.15
Away: xG 1.5, Shots 14, xG/Shot 0.11

Open Play vs Set Play

Open Play: 65%
Set Play: 35%

Expected Points

TeamxPts
Home1.8
Away1.2
ℹ️ Methodology: Expected Goals (xG) measures shot quality
Jan 25 vs Team A
Feb 1 vs Team B
Feb 8 vs Team C
St. Gallen St. Gallen
St. Gallen
VS
Benfica Benfica
Benfica
0
Avg Points / Game (Last 100 Matches)
0
0 i
Avg Points / Game (Last 6 Matches)
0 i
0
Head to Head (Wins - Draws - Losses)
0 - 0 - 0
0
No sidelined player data available.

Win Probabilities

Live Win Probability (90 Min)
Home St. Gallen
0%
Draw
0%
Away Benfica
0%

Team Power Ranking

i
What is Power Ranking?
Power ranking is SportMonks' model-based team strength indicator. Historical input capped to 2 seasons.
66.94
88.17
0 (Weakest) 100 (Strongest)
Metric
St. Gallen
Benfica
Power Score
66.94
88.17
League Position
-
-
Global Rank
313
20

Form Analysis Opponent-Weighted

Line chart of recent results (points/trend). Friendlies excluded by default. Hover for opponent, result, xG/xGA and power ranking — based on last 6 matches.

–
vs
St. Gallen — Opponent-weighted form score
Benfica — Opponent-weighted form score
Win (3 pts) Draw (1 pt) Loss (0 pts) St. Gallen Benfica

Team Head to Head Last 6 Seasons

Summary of 0 matches between these sides — filtered by competition and venue context.

St. Gallen St. Gallen Home
0 matches
Benfica SLB Away
Match Record
0
Wins
0
0
Draws
0
0
Losses
0
Goals
0
Goals Scored
0
0
Goals Conceded
0
0
Goal Difference
0

Data last updated: 2026-07-16T00:19:19+00:00

TEAM FORMATION

Official lineups and formations are usually announced 60–90 minutes before kickoff. Check back closer to the match to see the starting XIs here.

General Information

Date & Time :
Jul 23, 2026, 12:00 AM
Competition :
2026/2027 Europa League, Europe · 2nd Qualifying Round · Leg 1 of 2
Stadium :
Kybunpark
Capacity :
19456
Pitch Surface :
Grass
Weather :
☀️ 12°C, Fair

Squad

Squad ▼

25
Lukas Watkowiak
Lukas Watkowiak Goalkeeper
1
Lawrence Ati-Zigi
Lawrence Ati-Zigi Goalkeeper
35
Bela Dumrath
Bela Dumrath Goalkeeper
81
Yannick Bujard
Yannick Bujard Goalkeeper
36
Chima Okoroji
Chima Okoroji Defender
28
Hugo Vandermersch
Hugo Vandermersch Defender
5
Stephan Kofi Ambrosius
Stephan Kofi Ambrosius Defender
4
Jozo Stanic
Jozo Stanic Defender
26
Tom Gaal
Tom Gaal Defender
3
Colin Noah Kleine-Bekel
Colin Noah Kleine-Bekel Defender
74
Joel Ruiz
Joel Ruiz Defender
71
Pascal Büttiker
Pascal Büttiker Defender
2
Cyrill May
Cyrill May Defender
16
Lukas Görtler
Lukas Görtler Midfielder
10
Lukas Daschner
Lukas Daschner Midfielder
11
Carlo Boukhalfa
Carlo Boukhalfa Midfielder
64
Mihailo Stevanovic
Mihailo Stevanovic Midfielder
23
Betim Fazliji
Betim Fazliji Midfielder
6
Behar Neziri
Behar Neziri Midfielder
7
C. Witzig
C. Witzig Midfielder
20
Leon Frokaj
Leon Frokaj Midfielder
63
Corsin Konietzke
Corsin Konietzke Midfielder
66
Nino Weibel
Nino Weibel Midfielder
27
Kevin Csoboth
Kevin Csoboth Attacker
14
Aliou Badara Balde
Aliou Badara Balde Attacker
47
Enoch Owusu
Enoch Owusu Attacker
21
Malamine Efekele
Malamine Efekele Attacker
19
Antonio Verinac
Antonio Verinac Attacker
70
Nevio Scherrer
Nevio Scherrer Attacker
31
Diego Besio
Diego Besio Attacker

Squad ▼

—
Clément Lenglet
Clément Lenglet Defender
—
Rafael Obrador Burguera
Rafael Obrador Burguera Defender
10
Heorhii Sudakov
Heorhii Sudakov Midfielder
—
Enzo Barrenechea
Enzo Barrenechea Midfielder
16
Jakub Kamiński
Jakub Kamiński Attacker
—
Tiago Maria Antunes Gouveia
Tiago Maria Antunes Gouveia Attacker

CONCLUSION

Benfica carry superior underlying metrics into the opening leg at Kybunpark and will look to establish control against a St. Gallen side without recent form indicators. The hosts face a difficult task bridging the power gap in European competition. Limited set-piece and efficiency data add uncertainty to detailed preparation. Benfica are expected to dictate tempo and exploit their squad strength across the two legs. St. Gallen must focus on defensive organisation to remain competitive in the return fixture.

St. Gallen vs Benfica preview with tactical analysis, xG context, lineup signals, and data-backed betting insights for faster decisions.

Use this page as a quick-read snapshot first, then continue to deep stats and methodology references below.

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Alfie writes football-focused analysis that looks beyond match results to explore form, value, and market context.