Benfica and Porto renew their heated rivalry this weekend as they go head to head at the Estadio da Luz in round 11 of the Portuguese Primeira Liga on Sunday.
Having stormed to an emphatic 5-0 victory when the two sides met at the Estadio do Dragao in March, the visitors will head into the weekend looking to make it two wins from their two games against As Aguias this year.
Match preview
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Benfica were left empty handed for the second consecutive game in the Champions League as they suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat against German powerhouse Bayern Munich at the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday.
As Aguias managed just one shot all game, compared to Bayern's 24, as they turned in a solid shift at the defensive end of the pitch to frustrate the host until Jamal Musiala netted in the 67th minute to hand Vincent Kompany's side a deserved victory.
Before that, Benfica kicked off their European campaign with back-to-back wins over Red Star Belgrade and Atletico Madrid before falling to a 3-1 loss against Eredivisie outfit Feyenoord at the Estadio da Luz on October 6.
Bruno Lage's men, who are 19th in the Champions League table, now return home, where they have won each of their last seven domestic games, a run which has seen them reach the Taca de Portugal fourth round and book their spot in the semi-finals of the Taca da Liga.
Benfica are on a five-game winning streak in the Primeira Liga and are unbeaten in their last nine league matches, picking up eight wins and one draw while scoring 24 goals and keeping four clean sheets since losing 2-0 against Famalicao on the opening weekend back in August.
After two straight games on the road, Benfica will be backing themselves to find their feet this weekend as they return home, where they are on a run of 16 consecutive Primeira Liga victories, stretching back to a 1-1 draw against Farense on December 8.
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Porto, on the other hand, continue to struggle for consistency in the Europa League as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against Serie A outfit Lazio when the two sides squared off at the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday.
Alessio Romagnoli broke the deadlock with the last significant kick of the first half to hand Lazio a perfect end to the first 45, and after Stephen Eustaquio pulled the visitors level with a 66th-minute effort, former Barcelona and Chelsea forward Pedro struck in the 92nd minute to hand the Italians all three points.
Porto have now failed to win three of their opening four Europa League matches this season — losing against Bodo/Glimt and Lazio while playing out a 3-3 draw against Manchester United at the Estadio do Dragao on October 3.
While Bruno Vitor's men are yet to hit their stride in the Europa League, they are riding pretty high in the Primeira Liga, where they are on a six-match winning streak and sit second in the table with 27 points from 10 games, five points and one spot above Sunday's hosts, who have one game in hand.
Porto have only dropped points once in the league this season, which came on August 31, when they were beaten 2-0 by rivals Sporting Lisbon at the Estadio Jose Alvalade courtesy of second-half goals from Viktor Gyokeres and Geny Catamo.
Next up for the Dragoes is the challenge of an opposing side who have struggled for results in the recent meetings between the two teams, losing 11 and claiming five wins in their last 20 clashes across all competitions since August 2008.
Team News
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Benfica will have to cope without Denmark international Alexander Bah, who missed the game against Bayern Munich in midweek after sustaining an injury against Farense on November 2.
He is joined on As Aguias' injury table by 23-year-old forward Tiago Gouveia, who has been out of action since sustaining a shoulder injury in the 1-0 victory over Estrela Amadora back in August.
Leandro Barreiro and teenage forward Gianluca Prestianni are currently recuperating from thigh and ankle injuries respectively and will also play no part in this weekend's matchup.
Porto have their fair share of injury concerns as Nigerian defender Zaidu Sanusi and 37-year-old Ivan Marcano continue their lengthy spells on the sidelines through ACL injuries.
Spanish striker Ivan Jaime has missed the last three games due to injury while experienced midfielder Marko Grujic is also out of contention for the Dragoes as he makes his return from a muscle problem.
Samuel Omorodian's superb start to life in Porto has earned him his first call-up to the Spain senior squad for November's UEFA Nations League games and the 20-year-old, who has seven goals in seven league games, should lead the visitors' attack once again.
Benfica possible starting lineup:
Trubin; Araujo, Silva, Otamendi, Carreras; Aursnes, Luis; Di Maria, Kokcu, Akturkoglu; Pavlidis
Porto possible starting lineup:
Costa; Fernandes, Djalo, Perez, Moura; Gonzalez, Varela; Pepe, Namaso, Vieira; Omorodion
We say: Benfica 3-2 Porto
In the first edition of the heated rivalry between Benfica and Porto this season, we anticipate an end-to-end affair at the Estadio da Luz as both sides look to get the better of each other and move within touching distance of league leaders Sporting Lisbon.
Home advantage gives Benfica a slight edge, and while we expect Porto to put up a fight this weekend, we are backing Lage's men to come away with the desired result.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
