Primeira Liga | Gameweek 33

May 10, 2025 at 6pm UK

Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica

Benfica vs Sporting Lisbon

Match preview

Having shadowed each other on all domestic fronts this season, Benfica's penalty triumph over Sporting in January's League Cup final will be followed by another blow in this gripping rivalry, with the two sides set to clash for the Taca de Portugal trophy under the floodlights of the Estadio Nacional do Jamor on 25 May.

This has kept alive the prospect of a clean sweep of all three of Portugal's major silverware for the Eagles, who know that a win here would be enough to put them in the driving seat of the title race ahead of a tricky test at Braga on the final day of the Primeira Liga.

It was not the most convincing of performances, but Benfica did enough to earn a 2-1 victory at Estoril Praia thanks to a dominant first half in which Fredrik Aursnes and Nicolas Otamendi found the net before Vinicius Zanocelo halved the deficit in the 78th minute to set up a tense finish.

Bruno Lage's men have now won 12 of their last 13 league games and will be hoping to carry that momentum into Saturday's derby, although recent encounters with Sporting in the Primeira Liga have not been kind, with the last two defeats.

However, Benfica can take solace in the fact that they won the last meeting between the two sides at the Estadio da Luz and will be looking to build on that, as well as their impressive record at the ground this season.

No team in the division has been more dominant on home soil, with the Eagles recording 14 wins, one draw and just one defeat, and they will be hoping that stronghold remains intact on Saturday.

Sporting have more than held their own on the road this season and sit top of the away standings with 37 points from a possible 48, making this match as evenly matched as any derby could be.

The Lions, who are on course to win back-to-back league titles after claiming the crown with 90 points in 2023-24, have endured several bumps in the road, most notably in the aftermath of Ruben Amorim's departure, and will fall short of last season's haul.

However, after a turbulent managerial period, Sporting appear to have regained their equilibrium under Rui Borges - the man whose reign began with a 1-0 triumph over Benfica - and he has the chance to lead the champions to their first league double since the 2005-06 season in this fixture.

The Green and Whites go into the game on the back of a 2-1 win over Gil Vicente, which extended their perfect run to four games and their unbeaten league record to 19.

A draw would be enough to keep them top of the table ahead of Sporting's clash with Vitoria Guimaraes at the Estadio Jose Alvalade on the final day, but victory here would seal the title with a game in hand.

Recent Performance

Benfica Primeira Liga form:WWDWWW

Benfica form (all competitions):WDWWWW

Sporting Lisbon Primeira Liga form:WDWWWW

Sporting Lisbon form (all competitions):DWWWWW

Team News

Angel Di Maria is back to full fitness and could feature for Benfica, with the Argentine typically stepping up in big moments like Saturday's derby, meaning Zeki Amdouni could drop to the bench.

Alvaro Carreras returns after serving a ban against Estoril and his availability is a major boost, with the Spaniard expected to start at left-back.

Coach Lage has used a three-man backline on occasion, and it would not be surprising to see him revert to the same strategy to counter the threat posed by Viktor Gyokeres.

Meanwhile, Alexander Bah, Manu Silva and Renato Sanches remain sidelined as they continue to recover from injury.

For Sporting, Geny Catamo has found the net in his last two appearances against Benfica, but he faces competition from Geovany Quenda for a place at right-back after the latter's impressive display off the bench last time out.

Despite scoring last time out, Maxi Araujo could start on the bench as Borges may prefer the more defensive Matheus Reis at left-back.

On the injury front, Nuno Santos, Joao Simoes and Daniel Braganca are all out for Saturday's crucial clash.

Possible starting lineup

Benfica possible starting lineup:

Trubin; Carreras, Silva, Otamendi, Araujo; Florentino, Kokcu; Akturkoglu, Aursnes; Di Maria; Pavlidis

Sporting Lisbon possible starting lineup:

Silva; Inacio, Debast, Quaresma; Reis, Hjulmand, Morita, Catamo; Pote, Gyokeres, Trincao