Primeira Liga Jornada 8 preview: Northern clash dominates weekend action in Portugal | OneFootball

Jornada 7 was a fruitful one for the Primeira Liga’s traditional big three with Benfica, Porto and Sporting all winning by big margins. Attention turned to Europe in midweek with Benfica sensationally beating Atletico Madrid 4-0 at the Estádio da Luz, whilst Sporting and Porto drew against PSV and Manchester United respectively.

As we recalibrate to domestic football again, the clash of weekend sees Porto host northern neighbours Braga.

Albert Carter-Phillips previews the eighth round of matches in the Primeira Liga.

Braga v Porto

The standout fixture from this round is the last game of the weekend, with Porto hosting Braga at the Estádio do Dragão. Braga fared worse than their opposition in Europe this week, falling to a 3-0 defeat against Olympiacos. Despite an emphatic 4-0 win against Rio Ave last week, Braga have far from convinced since the arrival of Carlos Carvalhal. It’s yet to be seen if the decision to sack Daniel Sousa after just two league games will be vindicated. It’s probably therefore a bad time for them to be facing Porto given the Dragons have been in good form all season, and have been buoyed further still by the impact of new signings Samu Aghehowa and Francisco Moura.

With 7 goals in 6 games, Samu’s impact has been instantaneous, providing Porto’s attack with a goal threat they had previously lacked. Francisco Moura at left-back has been brilliant in his first games and looks to be ready to fix a problem position Porto have had for a while. He will be back facing the club he left for Famalicão in 2022. After a good performance against Manchester United, despite a disappointing late equaliser, Porto will undoubtedly go into this game in better form and with more confidence.

Sporting v Casa Pia

League leaders Sporting have brushed aside every opposition they’ve faced in the league so far this season, winning their last three Liga games 3-0. A match at home against Casa Pia will therefore not faze them in the slightest. Casa Pia themselves have been in decent form of late with two wins and two draws in their last four games. For a club of Casa Pia’s size, survival in the Primeira Liga alone is an achievement, and recent wins against Estrela and Moreirense were a huge confidence boost, alongside a well-earned point against Vitória. Sporting however are a much tougher test for Casa Pia and there’s little to suggest the meeting between these two teams will result in anything but another win for the league leaders.

Nacional v Benfica

Benfica enjoyed their biggest league win of the season last weekend beating Gil Vicente 5-1, and followed it up with a phenomenal 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. There’s a new energy around the club since Bruno Lage replaced Roger Schmidt, and the players and fans seem to have responded in equal measure. They’ll want to go from strength to strength as they travel to Madeira to play Nacional. While the journey and conditions may prove to be a modest hurdle, Nacional themselves haven’t proven to be a formidable opponent for anyone this season with only 1 win and 2 draws in 7 games. Having returned to the top flight after promotion last season, Nacional still seem to be finding their feet in Primeira Liga.

Gil Vicente v Estrela

As always we like to round off these previews by highlighting some games involving the smaller teams in the league worth keeping an eye on, this week starting with Gil Vicente vs Estrela. Gil Vicente have really grown into their season, and despite losing 5-1 against Benfica were able to put in a performance significantly better than the scoreline suggested, including scoring the opening goal. In Kanya Fujimoto and Félix Correia they have a duo of great creativity and attacking prowess, as well as interesting players all over the pitch. Estrela got their first win of the season last weekend after sacking Filipe Martins. Yet to announce his replacement, Estrela will hope that the psychological boost from that win against Moreirense will be carried through to their game against Gil Vicente.

Rio Ave v Famalicão

Finally, a word on Rio Ave vs Famalicão on Friday night, a game between two of the clubs with the most interesting summer transfer windows, both of whom have had mixed fortunes so far this season with moments of real promise, but also some disappointing results. Both teams promise to be an interesting watch throughout the campaign to track the expected positive evolution as the new players bed in.

Three players to keep an eye on this weekend

Kanya Fujimoto (Gil Vicente): Kanya Fujimoto (pictured) has been a key part of Gil Vicente’s team since he joined in 2022 and was part of a team that fought for Europa League qualification. He’s been at the club ever since and remains one of the most underrated players in the league. With 4 goals and two assists so far this season he’s already proving to be one of the most interesting players in the league.

Tiago Silva (Vitória): Vitória have had a blistering start to the season, qualifying for the UEFA Conference League and establishing themselves as a strong team in the league, but after losing star players Jota Silva and Ricardo Mangas, they need new players to step up. Experienced playmaker Tiago Silva has proven quality and leadership. He’s performed well in recent games and will be aiming to contribute more goals and assists to help make up for the absence of the high-profile players Vitória have lost.

Ismaël Gharbi (Braga): 20-year-old French winger Ismaël Gharbi was an eye-catching signing for Braga when he joined from PSG in the summer on a free transfer. We’ve had to wait a while to get a look at what he can do, but in his last two appearances in the league he’s proven he can be a real asset to the Warriors. He was brought on from the bench against Nacional with the game goalless, Braga ended up winning 3-0 and Gharbi was involved in all three goals. He then provided a goal and an assist against Rio Ave last weekend. Sunday’s game against Porto will be the biggest stage he’s had so far to showcase his abilities.