There is a huge match in Portugal on Sunday evening, as Sporting Lisbon will be looking to keep tabs on the league leaders with a sixth straight victory. However, Benfica will be their opponents, as they look to close the gap on their arch rivals.
Primeira Liga Preview
A massive game between two rivals in Portugal takes place on Sunday evening, but both have been forced to play second fiddle to FC Porto throughout the campaign. Sporting Lisbon are the nearest challengers, as they sit six points behind the leaders, and a victory this weekend could ignite their hopes that they could still get within striking distance.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with Sporting’s recent form, as they have won each of their previous five games in the Portuguese top-flight. They also look safe to finish in a Champions League this season as they are 18 points clear of Braga coming into this round of fixtures. Sporting’s excellent recent form continued last weekend, as they picked up a 3-1 away victory against Tondela. Pablo Sarabia scored twice on the comfortable evening for the travelling side. Goncalo Inacio scored the opening goal in the win.
Benfica also look safe when it comes to Champions League qualification this season, as they are nine clear of Braga. However, they will be keen to get back on a winning sequence, as they won’t want to go into the final weeks of the season needing to win their final games.
Benfica has won twice in their previous four, while they were also handed a fifth defeat this season a couple of weeks ago by Braga. They responded to that setback very well though, as they won their previous fixture against B-SAD 3-1. Darwin Nunez continued his excellent season with a fine hat-trick.
Sporting Lisbon vs Benfica Head to Head
Sporting has already picked up two victories against Benfica this season. Their latest win came in the Carlsberg Cup Final in January, as they picked up a 2-1 win. They have also picked up victories in two of the previous three fixtures between the sides in the league.
Sporting Lisbon vs Benfica Prediction
This is a huge game in Portugal, but it looks as though Sporting are well positioned to take the bragging rights. They have been excellent over their previous five games, and I expect them to claim a home victory to close the gap on Porto.
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