Benfica entertain Portimonense on Tuesday evening in the Primeira Liga as the hosts attempt to keep pace with the leading pack at the top of the table.
Jorge Jesus's side are currently two points behind league leaders Sporting Lisbon and two ahead of fierce rivals Porto in what is shaping up to be an exciting title race in Portugal.
Match preview
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The Eagles will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing defeat at the hands of Porto in the Portuguese Super Cup last time out.
A 2-0 loss on Wednesday saw the season's first piece of silverware go to the Dragons, and Benfica's supporters will demand a response going into this one.
Jesus's men are on a three-game winning streak in the league, and if they have serious ambitions of wrestling their league crown back from Sergio Conceicao's side, then they cannot afford to slip up in midweek.
Their hopes will largely depend on forwards Haris Seferovic and Gian-Luca Waldschmidt, with the duo responsible for 11 of the side's 23 Primeira Liga goals to date.
Portimonense were saved from relegation in 2019-20 in extraordinary fashion after Vitoria Setubal were demoted to the third division of Portuguese football due to issues with licensing and finances.
Antonio Folha's men finished in 17th position last season, one point and one place below Setubal, meaning they should now be competing in the second tier, but were given another chance to maintain their top-flight status by the Portuguese FA's decision.
The Estadio Municipal de Portimao outfit have so far failed to take advantage of their good fortune, though.
Just two wins from their opening 10 league games have left them at the foot of the table and facing another battle to stay in the division.
Benfica Primeira Liga form: WLLWWW
Benfica form (all competitions): WDWDWL
Portimonense Primeira Liga form: LLLWLD
Portimonense form (all competitions): LLLWLD
Team News
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Benfica have been hit by an outbreak of coronavirus in the squad ahead of this festive fixture.
The trio of Pizzi, Jardel and teenage striker Goncalo Ramos all returned positive COVID-19 test results prior to Christmas and will all be absent on Tuesday after entering a period of self-isolation.
They join Gabriel, Andre Almeida and Barcelona loanee Jean-Clair Todibo on the sidelines putting serious strain on Jesus's squad.
Portimonense have significantly less injury and illness concerns than their more affluent opponents ahead of this encounter.
Folha will be without attacking midfielder Lucas Fernandes after the 23-year-old injured his cruciate ligament last month, as well as Pedro Sa, who picked up a problem a few weeks ago.
Benfica possible starting lineup:
Vlachodimos; Grimaldo, Vertonghen, Otamendi, Gilberto; Everton, Weigl, Chiquinho, Pedrinho; Nunez, Seferovic
Portimonense possible starting lineup:
Samuel; Moufi, Possignolo, Antonio, Anzai; Clemente, Rocha; Boa Morte, Luquinha, Da Silva; Fabricio
We say: Benfica 3-0 Portimonense
The gulf in class between the two sides should show on Tuesday, with Benfica running out comfortable winners. Despite Jesus's side suffering from injuries and a coronavirus outbreak, they should have too much quality for a Portimonense side stuck at the bottom of the table.
Top betting tip
George Cannon
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Benfica win with a probability of 77.85%. A draw had a probability of 14.1% and a win for Portimonense had a probability of 8.07%.
The most likely scoreline for a Benfica win was 2-0 with a probability of 11.82%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 3-0 (10.43%) and 1-0 (8.94%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (6.63%), while for a Portimonense win it was 0-1 (2.51%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with an 8.8% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Benfica would win this match.
