Benfica will host rivals Porto as the two title contenders meet in the Primeira Liga. Prior to their match on Friday, the visitors were in second place in the league after six games. They are trailing Sporting Lisbon on goal differential. The hosts were only one point worse off and would like to take first place at home.
Preview (Benfica vs. Porto)
After winning their 38th Primeira Liga championship last season under the direction of Roger Schmidt, Benfica set out to defend their top-flight title this year. However, they had to deal with an unexpected losing start to their defense, losing 3-2 away at Boavista. This was after defeating O Classico rivals Porto in the Supertaca Candido de Oliveira in early August. However, since that first-day blunder, Aguias have recovered well, quickly reclaiming first place.
The Lisbon giants returned to the field in mid-September with nine points from four games. They continued where they left off with a tenacious 2-1 victory away at Vizela. They began their Champions League campaign by hosting Red Bull Salzburg in the first group match. Ultimately, they came away empty-handed in a disappointing 2-0 defeat. Benfica most recently traveled to Portimonense on Sunday in an effort to bounce back from their defeat on the international stage and solidify their position at the top of the Primeira Liga. They were ultimately victorious 3-1, scoring goals from Alexander Bah and Musa in the first half. David Neres restored their two-goal lead in the 66th minute. Schmidt’s team is heading into their hardest test of the year with their sights set on rivals Sporting Lisbon and Porto.
Both sit a point ahead and have the opportunity to go top. Schmidt’s team has recently started to gain momentum in their latest league title campaign. In contrast, their opponents will try to maintain their perfect start to the new league season and pull further away from As Aguias in their quest to win the Primeira Liga trophy for the 31st time after losing it to Friday’s opponents last year. After the disappointment of losing to Benfica in the Supertaca, Porto has had an impressive start to the league season.
Team News
The crucial winger Angel Di Maria was unavailable for Benfica’s recent trip to Portimonense. It is unknown whether he will be deemed fit for O Classico. The short turnaround may force Schmidt to stick with the same starting lineup from Sunday’s victory. David Neres will once more fill in on the right wing in a 4-2-3-1 formation. The team’s second goal against Portimonense came from striker Petar Musa. He has four goals in six domestic games so far this season. Musa was taken out of that game as a precaution at halftime. He is more likely to recover from his injury and start again on Friday.
Morato and Nicolas Otamendi will once again team up at the center of the defensive four in front of goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin, who was added over the summer to replace Odysseas Vlachodimos. Behind them, Joao Neves may return right away to join Orkun Kokcu in the engine room. It is still unknown if veteran center-back Pepe will be ready in time to play on Friday for Porto.
After scoring his first goal for Os Dragoes at the weekend to secure all three points against Gil Vicente, Ivan Jaime will probably play the more advanced role in front of them in their 4-2-3-1 formation. Alan Varela should continue to partner Stephen Eustaquio in midfield. Galeno, Andre Franco, Fran Navarro, Francisco Conceicao, Goncalo Borges, Toni Martinez, and Pepe are all vying for the final attacking positions with Mehdi Taremi likely to start at the head of the line after scoring 58 goals and dishing out 36 assists for Porto over the previous three Primeira Liga seasons.
Benfica 2 – 1 Porto
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