Our prediction for this Portugal Primeira Liga match:
Following yet another disappointing Champions League defeat to Real Sociedad, Benfica will look to give fans some cheer when they welcome Casa Pia to their Estadio da Luz on Matchday 9. The Eagles are eyeing their eighth consecutive league win, but they will have to prove their worth on the field. Angel Di Maria missed the Champions League clash with injury, but the Argentina ace is rated doubtful for the Casa Pia game.
The visitors, on the other hand, defeated CD Rabo Peixe in the Taca de Portugal at the weekend, but their displays in back-to-back defeats to Gil Vicente and Estrela were anything but good. As Benfica have turned their Estadio da Luz into a real fortress, we do not believe that the underdogs are capable of claiming a major scalp in the Primeira Liga round 9. In their last meeting in Lisbon Benfica recorded a routine 3-0 win over Casa Pia.
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 (Benfica):
Member of the ‘Big Three’ clubs in Portugal alongside FC Porto and CP Sporting, Sport Lisboa e Benfica are the football club that has never been relegated from the Primeira Liga. The club is nicknamed Aguias because of the Eagle symbol atop the club’s crest. Benfica play their home games at the Estadio da Luz which replaced the original one in 2003 and which boasts the capacity of more than 64,000. Arguably the most successful club in Portugal, Benfica have won a record of 35 Primeira Liga titles and also a record 25 Taca de Liga and 7 Taca da Liga trophies.
Two-time European Cup winners, Benfica are the club known for their diligent work with youth players, many of which went on to make great careers abroad. The most prominent players to wear a Benfica shirt are legendary Eusebio, Manuel Bento, Jorge Tavares and most recently Javier Saviola, Nuno Gomes, David Luiz and Angel Di Maria.