Our prediction for this Portugal Primeira Liga match:
Following seven consecutive wins, Benfica will be aiming to put an extra pressure on Porto and Sporting CP when they face Guimaraes on Matchday 13. The Eagles look unstoppable in the national championship and they are likely to adopt yet another attack-minded approach against Guimaraes. Orkun Kokcu is banned for the match, while Jan-Niklas Beste remains on the sidelines with injury. Tiago Gouveia faces race against the clock to be fit for Saturday’s encounter.
Os Vimaranenses, on the other hand, rolled over Gil Vicente 4-0 to retain sixth place in the standings. Guimaraes, though, continue with their old habit of producing much better showings at home than on the travels and given their three-game losing run at Estadio da Luz, we believe that there is a big value in betting on the title-chasing hosts. In their last meeting in Lisbon Benfica crushed Guimaraes 4-0.
Highlighted Player (Angel di Maria):
Angel Di Maria is a professional footballer who played for Argentine side Rosario Central at the start of his senior career. The left-footed winger is very quick on the ball and he often makes life difficult for opposition defenders. After playing for Benfica between 2007 and 2010, the Argentine superstar signed for Real Madrid on 28 June, 2010 for a fee of €25 million + €11 million in bonuses.
Despite impressing with los Blancos in the 2013/2014 La Liga campaign, the club chiefs decided to sell him to Manchester United on 26 August, 2014. Di Maria was playing below expectations at Old Trafford and he scored three goals in 27 league games for the Red Devils.
In 2015 he moved to Paris Saint-Germain and he scored 10 goals in 29 league appearances for les Parisiens in the 2015/2016 Ligue 1 campaign. In 2014 he won the Champions League trophy with Real Madrid and that is considered the biggest success of his career. Angel Di Maria was born in Rosario on 14 February, 1988.
Highlighted Team (Guimaraes):
Vitoria Guimaraes have always been in the shadow of famous Portuguese sides Porto, Benfica and Sporting, but over the years they have established themselves as a top-table side in the Primeira Liga. Os Vimaranenses did well to win Taca de Portugal in the 2012/2013 season, wi the team beating Benfica in the final of the domestic cup.
Vitoria Guimaraes finished the 2016/2017 Primeira Liga campaign in fourth place in the standings and, as a result, they booked their place in the Europa League qualifiers. The Portuguese side will face the likes of Salzburg, Konyaspor and Olympic Marseille in Group I and they are seen as underdogs in their group. Vitoria Guimaraes welcome their rivals at Estadio D. Alfonso Henriques and the venue can hold up to 30.000 spectators.
Os Vimaranenses play their home games in white shirts and white shorts, whilst they wear black when playing on the road. Their neighbours Braga are considered Guimaraes’ fiercest rivals and the two teams face each other in the derby of Minho Province.