Sporting CP vs SL Benfica: Preview, Odds, Form Guide and Players to Watch (December 29) | OneFootball

One of the most eagerly awaited games on the Primeira Liga calendar is upon us with Sporting CP set to host SL Benfica at the Estádio José Alvalade this week. Sunday’s Lisbon derby promises to be a fascinating encounter between two of Portugal’s traditional heavyweights.

An in-form Benfica sit atop of the standings after an impressive 14-game unbeaten streak in the league. Sporting and FC Porto, however, have kept pace with their rival and trail the Lisbon giants by just one point. With all three clubs jostling for position, Sunday’s match will be a key fixture as we approach the midway point of the season.

Preview

Sporting hit the headlines this week after sacking manager João Pereira on Thursday. After a roaring start to the 2024-25 campaign, the Lions have struggled to find their footing since the departure of the much-loved Ruben Amorim to Manchester United in November, with Pereira managing just three victories from his eight games in charge. An uninspiring 0-0 draw against Gil Vicente seemed to be the final straw, with the club moving swiftly to appoint highly rated Portuguese manager Rui Borges, who began the year with Vitória SC.

Borges has worked with a handful of clubs in the first and second tier of Portuguese football, but came to the forefront after building an organized and resilient team in Guimarães over the last seven months. Vitória SC are currently sixth in the table and have put together a memorable run in the UEFA Conference League, taking 14 points from their first six matches.

After a disappointing run where Sporting have managed just four points from their last four league games, the pressure will be on Borges to secure a result aon Sunday. Sporting are currently second in the table (ahead of Porto on goal difference) after securing 37 points over the first 15 games of the campaign. At home, the club have won six of their first seven with their only loss coming at the hands of CD Santa Clara last month.

Despite failing to score in their previous game against Gil Vicente, Sporting’s attack remains one of the most potent in Europe. The verde e brancos lead the league with 43 goals, six ahead of second-place Benfica. Sporting have scored four goals or more on five occasions this season, including a memorable four-goal display in the Champions League to overcome Manchester City 5-1. The club, however, has been heavily reliant on Swedish striker Viktor Gyökeres, who leads the squad with 18 goals in 15 league matches.

Like their cross-town rivals, Benfica also parted ways with their manager in the first half of the season, with Bruno Lage replacing German Roger Schmidt in August following a string of poor performances. The Portuguese manager, who is in his second stint with the club, has done well to reinvigorate a talented group of players after an underwhelming start to the campaign. In the league, Lage is undefeated since taking charge, and has accumulated 31 points from 11 matches.

Benfica have not lost in the Primeira Liga since their opening day defeat against FC Famalicão. The Lisbon side are currently top of the table with 38 points from 15 games. Away from the Estádio da Luz, they have the third-best record in the league, with four wins, two draws and a loss.

A solid back five has been a major factor in Benfica’s early season success. Benfica have allowed just eight goals over 15 matches, the fewest of any team in the league. Ukrainian international Anatoliy Trubin has established himself as the No.1 goalkeeper after making the move from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2023. The talented stopper already has nine clean sheets in the league. 22-year-old central defender Tomás Araújo, who came out of the club’s youth academy, has made the jump to the starting lineup and has been tremendous. Full backs Álvaro Carreras and Alexander Bah remain two of the most consistent players in the lineup week in and week out.

Aside from Sporting, no team has scored more goals in the league than Benfica (37). Bruno Lage’s side are averaging 2.46 goals per game. The goals have come from all areas of the pitch with 17 different players recording goals at some point of the season. Argentine winger Ángel Di María leads the squad with 11 goals in all competitions, with Turkish midfielder Kerem Aktürkoğlu just behind him with 10.

Odds

Sporting  2.52, Benfica 2.82, Draw 3.60

Over 2.5 total goals: 1.65, Under 2.5 goals: 1.87

*All odds provided from Betano.pt. Odds are subject to change prior to kick off.

Form Guide (All Competitions)

Sporting:

Benfica:

Head-to-head Record

The Lisbon derby, or “Dérbi da Capital,” dates all the way back to 1907. The two sides have faced off on 322 occasions with Benfica winning 139 (43%), Sporting winning 114 (35.5%) and 69 draws (21.5%). In the league, Benfica have won nearly 83 of the 180 matches played (46.1%), and Sporting have won 50 times (27.7%).

Recently, Sporting CP have held the advantage in the tie, winning two of the last three games outright, and edging out Benfica on penalties in the Taça de Portugal in the other clash.

Over the last five games between the two teams, Sporting have won two, drawn two and lost one.

The last game between Sporting and Benfica was on April 6, 2024 and it took a 90th minute winner from Geny Catamo to secure a 2-1 victory for Sporting at the Estádio José Alvalade.

Players to Watch

Kerem Aktürkoğlu, Zeki Amdouni and Evangelos Pavlidis have all got their names on the scoresheet over the last few weeks, yet World Cup champion Ángel Di María remains the main man for the Eagles. The former Real Madrid and PSG star is capable of producing a moment of magic at any stage of a game. His ability to hold on to the ball, combined with his quick feet, vision and pinpoint passing make him one of the most dangerous threats in the Primera Liga.

Last season, Di María finished with 17 goals and 15 assists in all competitions. This season, he is off to another flying start, with 11 goals and six assists in his first 22 games.

Over the last 18 months, Viktor Gyökeres has firmly established himself as one of the top strikers in Europe. The Swedish international has been the central figure in Sporting’s front line. He continues to torment defense up and down the country and will be hoping to make a splash this weekend in one of the biggest games of the year.

After finishing with an incredible 43 goals and 15 assists during the 2023-24 campaign, it seemed inconceivable that Gyökeres would be able to match those extraordinary highs. However,  the 26-year-old seems to just be getting better with age. Gyökeres has already amassed 27 goals in all competitions. He leads all scorers in the Primera Liga with 18 goals in 15 matches, averaging a goal every 74 minutes.