In what is a heavyweight Europa League group stage opener on Wednesday night, AC Milan will welcome Benfica to the San Siro.With a stacked midweek schedule from across the continent, there are plenty of attractive betting promotions available.Verdict: Both teams to scoreBest Odds: 7/10Bookmaker: 1xBetAC MilanStarting with the hosts, while there might have been plenty of raised eyebrows across over the summer following Ruben Amorim’s arrival at the San Siro, AC Milan have enjoyed a rugged start to proceedings. Snatching points off fellow Italian giants Lazio and Juventus since opening September, the Rossoneri are unbeaten in each of their opening four Serie A appearances. Getting the 2026/27 campaign underway with a 2-1 victory away at Torino on August 23rd, Amorim’s men will now know the importance of finding some crucial defensive grit. Despite signing off August with a routine 2-0 win at home against Venezia, that is the only clean sheet that AC Milan have registered from any of their previous eight Serie A appearances on either side of the summer interval.AC Milan Team NewsAhead of their Europa League opener on Wednesday night, AC Milan have reported a clean bill of health. Coming off the bench and bagging a sensational second-half brace away at Lazio on Saturday, Belgium midfielder Diego Moreria could be handed a full recall here.Making his Milan debut over the weekend following a surprise Deadline Day move from Nottingham Forest, Omari Hutchinson should get some more minutes under his belt. While Luka Modric might have turned 41 last week, the former Ballon d’Or winner will start in the middle of the park.BenficaAs for the visitors, putting in another dominant display over the weekend as they clinched a deserved 3-1 victory at home against Gil Vicente, Benfica have come flying out of the traps since opening up the 2026/27 campaign. With the mood around Lisbon at a real high, the Eagles are clearly relishing life under Marco Silva’s guidance. Watching the former Fulham boss make an immediate impact since arriving at the Estadio da Luz, Wednesday’s guests will be relishing a trip to Milan here. Punching their Europa League group stage ticket last month as they clinched a 6-2 aggregate victory against Danish outfit Aarhus, Benfica have also impressed with their clinical performances in the final third. In fact, Silva’s high-flying squad have notched at least a trio of goals in six of their previous seven matchups across all competitions.Benfica Team NewsOnce again missing out against Gil Vicente on Sunday due to a reported shoulder issue, Benfica are once again sweating over the fitness of Alexander Bah. However, aside from the Danish starlet, Silva’s camp have reported a clean bill of health.Completing a late summer switch from Bayern Munich, former Tottenham loanee Joao Palhinha should be handed a full recall in the middle of the park. Enjoying another remarkable free-scoring run this season and already registering 10 direct goal contributions in his opening six domestic appearances (six goals, two assists), attacking talisman Vangelis Pavlidis will lead the line in Milan.AC Milan vs Benfica Key Factors to ConsiderWednesday’s showdown at the San Siro will be the first competitive meeting between AC Milan and Benfica since the two European giants played out a 1-1 Champions League stalemate back in November 2007.Wednesday’s guests have won all of their last seven straight matchups across all competitions.Benfica have also recorded at least a trio of strikes in six of those seven appearances.AC Milan have recorded just a sole clean sheet from any of their last eight matchups on either side of the summer interval.The Italian giants have failed to register consecutive clean sheets at the San Siro so far this calendar year.ConclusionEventually watching AC Milan play out a thrilling 2-2 stalemate away at bitter domestic foes Lazio over the weekend, neutrals will be hoping for another thriller on Wednesday night. With the Italian icons showing some extended defensive issues on either side of the summer interval, they will also meet a red-hot Benfica attack. Embarking on a sensational purple patch and now winning all of their previous seven consecutive appearances across all competitions, the midweek guests have also gained a real reputation for their clinical performances.Verdict: Both teams to scoreBest Odds: 7/10Bookmaker: 1xBetThe post Prediction: AC Milan vs Benfica appeared first on SoccerNews.