Referee Artur Soares Dias will oversee a derby between Benfica and Sporting for the ninth round of the I League on Sunday for the ninth time, the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) said on Wednesday.
The referee of the Football Association of Porto, 44 years old and international since 2010, will have as assistants at the Estádio da Luz, in Lisbon, Paulo Soares and Pedro Ribeiro, while the fourth referee will be Fábio Veríssimo and the video referee (VAR). are. becomes Tiago Martins.
Artur Soares Dias has already participated in eight derbies as head referee, the first in 2011 and the last this year, but only two were at the Estádio da Luz, precisely the last, the other six were at the Estádio José Alvalade.
In the Porto referee’s derby ‘whistle’, Benfica won three times (all away, in 2010/11, 2015/16 and 2018/19) and Sporting a further three times (twice at home, in 2011/12 and 2020/ 21, and one away, in 2021/22), with two draws (2016/17 and 2022/23).
In the accounts of these eight matches, all for the championship, Benfica has not won against Sporting led by Soares Dias (4-2 in Alvalade) since 2019, while Sporting achieved its last victory in December 2021 (3-1), in the light.
The last match of Soares Dias between ‘eagles’ and ‘lions’ corresponds to the first round of last season, with a 2-2 draw, the same result that would take place in the second round, in May, but in Alvalade, with arbitration of João Pinheiro.
In the first round match, at Estádio da Luz, on 15 January, Sporting won 1–0 (own goal by Bah, 28th minute) and 2–1 (Pedro Gonçalves, from a penalty, in the 53rd minute), with Benfica equalizing through Gonçalo Ramos, at 37 and 64.
Among the active referees, Artur Soares Dias is the one who has collected the most derbies and classics, also with FC Porto, in a total of 25 matches, 10 between Benfica and FC Porto, eight between Benfica and Sporting, and seven between FC Porto and Sportief .
The derby between Sporting, leader of the championship with 28 points, and champions Benfica, second, with 25, is scheduled for Sunday at 8:30 PM at Estádio da Luz in Lisbon.
Source: DN
