Two camps who will get their respective Europa League qualifying adventures underway on Thursday evening, Benfica will travel to Switzerland when they meet St. Gallen.With Europe’s elite set to officially get the 2026/27 campaign underway next month, there are plenty of attractive betting promotions available this summer.Verdict: Benfica winBest Odds: 2/5Bookmaker: BetUSSt. GallenStarting with the hosts, securing yet another silver medal finish among Switzerland’s elite last season, St. Gallen have firmly cemented their spot as one of the Super League’s real surprise packages over the past two campaigns. However, despite rightfully receiving plenty of public plaudits prior to the summer interval, Enrico Maaben’s men will be more than aware that they face a stern examination when they get their Europa League qualifying adventure underway on Thursday evening. Despite being crowned Swiss Cup champions on May 24th as they stormed their way to an iconic 3-0 romp against Lausanne Ouchy, St. Gallen signed off their pre-season preparations with a worrying blip. Drawing a line under their summer plans with a disappointing 3-0 loss at the hands of Norwich City last week, Thursday’s hosts shipped nine goals in their final two summer showdowns.St. Gallen Team NewsArriving from domestic rivals Basel this summer and putting pen to paper on a long-term deal, 23-year-old Andrin Hunziker will make his competitive St. Gallen debut on Thursday evening. Likewise, making his switch from French giants Nice a permanent one this summer, Aliou Balde will feature in the final third.However, yet to make a single appearance across any competition so far this calendar year and still on the sidelines with a long-term knee injury, one-time Bayern Munich youngster Behar Naziri will not play any part here.BenficaAs for the visitors, while Benfica might have been left frustrated last season as they were eventually forced to settle for a bronze medal finish, the Portuguese giants certainly signed off the 2025/26 campaign in midst of a remarkable flurry. With their sights fixed on mounting a genuine title charge this time around, they are now under the guidance of former Fulham boss Marco Silva. Officially getting a new era underway on Thursday, the Eagles will be confident of laying down an immediate statement on foreign soil. In fact, along with signing off their pre-season preparations with an impressive 2-0 victory against Spanish outfit Villarreal, Benfica were unbeaten in all of their final 17 consecutive showdowns across all formats last season. Pencilled in as a standout contender in midweek, it should also be noted that Silva’s new squad have notched at least a pair of goals in seven of their last eight appearances across all competitions.Team NewsCompleting an initial season-long loan switch from AL-Nassr this week and already joining his seventh club despite still only being 22, former Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran should make his Benfica debut on Thursday evening.Splashing the cash this summer and welcoming Georgiy Sudakov from Shakhtar Donetsk for a reported fee north of €20million, the Ukrainian international will feature in Switzerland. Bagging 22 domestic strikes last season and once again claiming Benfica’s Golden Boot, Greek marksman Vangelis Pavilidis will lead the line on foreign soil.St. Gallen vs Benfica Key Factors to ConsiderThursday’s showdown in Switzerland will be the first meeting between St. Gallen and Benfica.Continuing on from their summer preparations, Benfica have notched at least a pair of goals in seven of their last eight appearances across all competitions.Greek marksman Vangelis Pavilidis notched 26 direct goal contributions in his 33 domestic appearances last season (22 goals, four assists).Benfica were unbeaten in all of their final 17 consecutive domestic appearances last season.St. Gallen shipped nine goals in their back-to-back summer friendly defeats.ConclusionShipping nine goals in their back-to-back defeats when signing off their summer preparations, St. Gallen will be more than aware that they face a heavyweight challenge on Thursday evening. Watching Benfica remarkably go unbeaten in all of their final 17 consecutive domestic appearances across all fronts last season, the Portuguese giants will simply be looking to carry on from where they left off prior to the summer interval.Verdict: Benfica winBest Odds: 2/5Bookmaker: BetUSThe post Prediction: St. Gallen vs Benfica appeared first on SoccerNews.