The first Derby de Lisboa of the 2023-24 Primeira Liga season will be played out this week as Benfica prepare to take on rivals Sporting Lisbon at Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica on Sunday evening.
The stage is set for an incredible matchup between the two sides that have started the season better than the rest, and with both teams on an identical goal difference and separated by just three points, the victors here will go into the international break in pole position.
Match preview
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The defending champions come into this match following a disappointing trip to Spain in midweek, where they were beaten fairly convincingly 3-1 by Real Sociedad in the Champions League.
That result marked their fourth consecutive loss in the Continental Cup competition, leaving them at the bottom of Group D and one of only two sides in the competition that are yet to register a point after the first four matches.
With the European competitions seemingly slipping from their grasp, the Eagles will want to ensure that they remain in the title race domestically, and they have been doing an excellent job of that up to this point.
Roger Schmidt's side won their last league outing 2-0 against Chaves with goals from Fredrik Aursnes and Joao Mario in the second half, which extended their recent record to nine games unbeaten.
During that time, the Reds notched up eight wins and a draw, while they have taken a total of 10 points from a possible 12 here on their home patch.
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Meanwhile, Sporting were also involved in European competition in midweek and claimed an important three points, beating Ekstraklasa champions Rakow Czestochowa 2-1 at Jose Alvalade Stadium.
The Lions are now in second place in Group D of the Europa League, and that result also brought up their fourth consecutive win in all competitions while they are now unbeaten in their last six.
In the Primeira Liga, Ruben Amorim's side beat Estrela 3-2 last weekend, taking them to six wins in a row while also keeping their unbeaten league record this term intact, now on nine wins and a draw from their 10 games.
As is often the case in the Portuguese top flight, the smallest of margins can make the biggest differences, and the visitors will have the added benefit of having not travelled in midweek, which could be a telling factor after a busy run of fixtures for both teams.
These grand old foes were inseparable last season as they played out 2-2 draws both home and away, and we are expecting another entertaining encounter in this one.
Team News
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With matches coming thick and fast over the last month, Benfica have seen their injury list growing at pace, with Juan Bernat being the most recent addition due to an adductor injury.
The other players on the treatment table include Orkun Kokcu (foot), Alexander Bah (foot), Petar Musa (illness) and the influential winger David Neres, who may only return to action in December.
In the opposite dugout, Amorim has only one injury absentee in the form of Geny Catamo, who picked up a muscle strain in the Europa League last month but is expected back after the international break.
That will likely see Pedro Goncalves, Viktor Gyokeres and Marcus Edwards make up the front three ahead of Morten Hjulmand and Daniel Braganca in the Sporting engine room.
Benfica possible starting lineup:
Trubin; Otamendi, Silva, Morato; Aursnes, Mario, Luis, Neves; Di Maria, Silva; Guedes
Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:
Adan; Diomande, Coates, Inacio; Essugo, Hjulmand, Braganca, Reis; Edwards, Gyokeres, Goncalves
We say: Benfica 1-2 Sporting Lisbon
Benfica will have the opportunity to head into the international break in first place in the Primeira Liga with a win in this match. However, that will mean they need to hand Sporting their first league defeat of the season.
The hosts will also have to contend with the short turnaround time, having travelled to Spain in midweek, while also dealing with a fairly lengthy injury list that features a few key players.
Based on those reasons, the visitors may just have a slight advantage despite playing on enemy territory, and we feel they can pull off a narrow victory in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
