Benfica take on the visitors Sporting Lisbon in the round 13 match of Liga Portugal. The match will be played on Friday, December 5th at Estádio da Luz (Lisbon).
Benfica once again finished second in Portuguese football. They did, however, manage to win the League Cup last winter. Moreover, after the summer break they opened the new campaign by lifting the Super Cup, beating their local rivals. Strong victories in the Champions League qualifiers and in the Primeira Liga followed shortly after. But whether it was the painful setbacks in early September against Santa Clara and especially Qarabağ, or simply the irresistible desire to bring Mourinho back to Lisbon, the coaching switch ultimately happened — and did not lead to improvement. Results in the Champions League were particularly disappointing, with the Portuguese side losing every match except a 2–0 win over Ajax. Domestic form also remained unstable under the Special One, even though they did manage to beat Nacional. The team’s overall trajectory has shown a decline in consistency, with performances frequently dipping against opponents they were expected to control. Their inability to regain rhythm after key setbacks has raised further doubts about the impact of the managerial change.
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Sporting Lisbon are dealing with yet another serious challenger. The Lions, even after losing Rúben Amorim a little over a year ago to Manchester United, still managed to finish ahead of Benfica in the race for the Primeira Liga title. They also defeated their city rivals in the domestic cup battle. This season brought a new challenge as the club had to adapt to the departure of a major attacking leader, sold to Arsenal during the summer. Despite that, Sporting began their Champions League campaign solidly and even thrashed Club Brugge 3–0 in the previous round. Domestically, however, their season started with a Super Cup defeat to Benfica, and in the league they still cannot break clear of another resurgent contender, Porto. Their latest Primeira Liga outing ended with an emphatic 4–0 win over Estrela. Recent league fixtures underline Sporting’s ability to dominate weaker sides, maintaining strong pressure throughout matches. Yet occasional lapses against tougher opponents show that their title challenge still depends on achieving greater stability.
Across seven recent Lisbon derbies, the Lions avoided defeat, regularly securing draws or victories. But they lost 0–1 to their neighbours in the Super Cup last summer. The match is viewed as nearly even. However, the visitors appear to be significantly more stable at the moment. The bet is Sporting Lisbon with a “0” handicap.
Prediction for the match: Sporting to win with 0.0 handicap.
