This weekend the biggest game for the rest of the season is upon us as league leaders Sporting host rivals Benfica at the Estádio José Alvalade.
The encounter has the makings of a genuine title decider, especially if Sporting were to win and extend their lead at the top of the table to 4 points with a game in hand, and only six rounds to go afterwards. For Benfica, you sense this is their last chance to wrestle the Primeira Liga trophy from the grip of their cross-town rivals.
PortuGOAL previews the massive match and the rest of the weekend action.
The unique thing about this particular meeting between Lisbon’s two biggest clubs is that we were treated to something of a dress rehearsal earlier this week. The two sides faced off in the second leg of their Taça de Portugal semi-final, in a fascinating game which revealed a lot about where these two clubs are at. The game ended 2-2 on the night, with Benfica twice coming from behind, but Sporting won the tie 4-3 on aggregate thanks to a 2-1 win in the first leg.
One thing that was clear from the game on Tuesday was that Benfica will not settle for being second best, despite having a much more turbulent season than Sporting who on paper would go into the game as favourites. Benfica played some of their best football of the season and should certainly have scored more goals from the chances they created. Whilst they will be disappointed to exit the cup and lose to Sporting just days before their next matchup in the league, they can take great confidence for the amount of problems they caused, with the knowledge that a more ruthless and efficient performance could well see them get a vital win.
Sporting will be full of confidence themselves however, successfully seeing off Benfica’s spirited attempt to get past them in the Taça de Portugal, knowing that a win would all but hand them the title, and with some of the league’s best players in great form in their team. Sporting’s record against fellow big clubs in the league this season has been good, dispatching Braga 5-0 at home, and beating Porto in the one meeting between the two in the league so far this season. Moreover, Rúben Amorim’s men have won all 13 of their Primeira Liga matches played at Alvalade this season. However, one of only two losses in the league so far this campaign for the Lions came against Benfica at the Estádio da Luz.
Sporting recently won their first league title in 19 years, overcoming great psychological hurdles to get the title over the line. If they’re to win their second league in 4 years then this is exactly the type of game they’ll have to win. They have the form, the manager, the players, and everything needed to get a win; the only question that remains is can they keep their heads in the biggest game of their season.
Both teams should be at full strength with no suspensions and Sporting’s Pedro Gonçalves expected to return after injury. Predicted lineups:
Sporting: Franco Israel, Geny Catamo, Ousmane Diomande, Sebastián Coates, Gonçalo Inácio, Matheus Reis, Morten Hjulmand, Hidemasa Morita, Pedro Gonçalves, Paulinho, Victor Gyökeres
Benfica: Anatoliy Trubin, Alexander Bah, António Silva, Nicólas Otamendi, Fredrik Aursnes, Florentino Luís, João Neves, David Neres, Rafa Silva, Ángel Di María, Casper Tengstedt
Looking at the rest of the league there’s plenty of other games to enjoy. Just as Porto looked to be getting their season back on track they’ve managed to snatch further chaos from the jaws of stability, the controversial aftermath of their 1-0 loss to Estoril now well documented. They’re looking to bounce back, and would’ve wanted an easier game than playing 5th-placed Vitória. Just like Sporting and Benfica, the two sides faced each other this week in the Taça de Portugal semi-final from which Porto emerged triumphant thanks to a 1-0 victory. Another win would help settle the team’s nerves, and keep Braga at bay with the gap separating the two teams just two points.
Braga themselves are looking over their shoulders with Vitória just 3 points behind, and can’t afford any more slip-ups to keep their season on track. Losing their manager at such a crucial time of the season might not seem like the best idea then, but that’s exactly what’s happened as coach Artur Jorge has left for Botafogo in Brazil with 7 games to play. To complicate things further the replacement manager they’ve been most linked with is Arouca manager Daniel Sousa, and as fate would have it Braga are set to play Arouca this very weekend. As things stand Arouca pose a genuine threat to a Braga side leaking goals (they conceded three to Portimonense last weekend), and Arouca have some great attacking threats in their team. Who knows how Braga would respond to Daniel Sousa should he mastermind a win for his current side against his potential future employers.
Finally, for the more distinguished Primeira Liga viewers amongst you, two potentially interesting games to keep an eye on. Casa Pia host Estoril with both teams fresh from morale-boosting victories. Estoril beat Porto at home, and Casa Pia got their biggest ever Primeira Liga victory by beating Vizela 4-0.
Chaves versus Portimonense has the ring of last-chance saloon about it, especially for rock-bottom Chaves, although the Algarve team’s spiralling run of downward results (two points gained from their last 8 matches) makes it equally crucial for Paulo Sérgio’s men.
Rafa Silva (Benfica): For all his undeniable talent, if there’s one criticism you can level at Rafa Silva it’s that he can be very inconsistent, and the Benfica star has gone through patches of poor form despite this season being one of his most productive in recent years. That said, he does seem to deliver in big games. He scored against Sporting in the cup this week, and if Benfica are to get a win against Sporting don’t be surprised if he’s the one to step up and get them the result.
Franco Israel (Sporting): The Uruguayan keeper has stepped in to fill the gloves of the injured Antonio Adán, and so far has done so admirably. One of the main reasons Benfica didn’t score more on Tuesday was down to Israel’s shot stopping ability which undoubtedly kept the scoreline down. Expect him to be busy again in the Sporting net on Saturday.
Daniel Sousa (Arouca): Breaking our own rules by choosing a manager instead of a player, but this is one of the few times a manager will genuinely be the centre of attention as Arouca face Braga with much speculation swirling about whether Sousa will be the man to take over at Braga. He’ll want to make a mark in a huge game for his career.
by Albert Carter-Phillips (@LongBallFutebol)
