Benfica has a theoretically difficult test in the 14th round of the 1st Portuguese football league, with a trip to Sporting de Braga, with FC Porto and also Sporting waiting for the leader’s slip.
In the first round after the 2022 World Cup, the ‘incarnated’, still unbeatable in all competitions in 2022/23 and with a comfortable eight-point ‘cushion’ at the top of the championship, travel to Minho to face off against the current third place in the race, ‘hurt’ by the defeat suffered in Alvalade for the League Cup.
The always ‘hot’ Sporting de Braga-Benfica closes, on Friday, the last round of the year 2022, with FC Porto hosting Arouca, on Wednesday, the day before Sporting plays at home against Paços de Ferreira.
Forced to win and waiting for a slip from the leader, the ‘dragons’ come to this round in second place, but already eight points behind Benfica, while Sporting is in a worse situation, in fourth place, 12th.
After the tie with Moreirense (1-1) in the League Cup, which meant an unexpected elimination from the competition, Benfica begins the ‘post-world’ stage on a traditionally difficult terrain, although Sporting de Braga also appears in this stage in ‘recovery’.
Still without the world champions (Enzo Fernández and Otamendi), Benfica seeks to retake and reinforce its dominance in the championship (12 wins and only one draw), with Sporting de Braga, third, trying to recover the 5-0 played in Lisbon, in Alvalade.
The club from Luz is the last of the ‘bigs’ to enter the field, in a round in which FC Porto tries to put pressure on in the duel with Arouca, in Dragão, with the injured Pepe and Evanilson as weight ‘loss’.
The national champions are forbidden to ‘stumble’ in the I Liga, having, this time, to face a rival who, this season, gained motivation by being present for the first time in the final phase of the League Cup.
Sporting, after a kind of victorious second pre-season (an unprecedented break for the World Cup), receives the problematic Paços de Ferreira, last classified and still waiting for José Mota’s successor.
Rúben Amorim’s team, however, in theory, to be victorious, will try to maintain the good performance achieved during the I Liga break, with players like Trincão and Paulinho leaving a good image, especially in the win against Braga in the Ignition cup.
Matchday 14 began last Friday, with a draw in Vila do Conde between Rio Ave and Marítimo (1-1), in the debut of José Gomes in charge of Madeirans.
But the new ‘faces’ do not stop there, with Daniel Sousa making his debut as senior manager in the I Liga with Gil Vicente, on Thursday, against Santa Clara, and Manuel Tulipa going through the same situation in Vizela, facing Vitória. de Guimarães at home on Friday.
Program of the 14th:
– Friday December 23:
Rio Ave – Maritime, 1-1
– Wednesday December 28:
Portimonense – Casa Pia, 19:00
FC Porto – Arouca, 21:15
– Thursday, December 29:
Gil Vicente – Santa Clara, 17:00
Estoril Beach – Boavista, 19:00
Sporting – Pacos de Ferreira, 21:15
– Friday, December 30:
Desportivo de Chaves – Famalicão, 17:00
Vizela – Victory of Guimarães, 19:00
Sporting de Braga – Benfica, 21:15
Source: TSF
