Our prediction for this Portugal Primeira Liga match:
Benfica and Maritimo go head to head in a David-vs-Goliath clash at Estadio da Luz on Monday evening. The Eagles are on a five-game winning run in all competitions, meaning that they are high on confidence ahead of the visit of Maritimo. Benfica are eager to keep their title hopes alive, and given their performance in a 2-0 win over Braga, home win should be considered.
Haris Seferovic, who was on international duty with Switzerland at the weekend, will be the man to watch in the home team. Boss Jorge Jesus can count on key players for Monday’s clash. The visitors, on the other hand, are having a season to forget, with the team sitting in the relegation zone ahead of Matchday 25. Maritimo are eager to escape the relegation zone, but beating Benfica in Lisbon is easier said than done. Midfielder Edgar Costa is back for the visitors after serving his ban in a 4-0 loss to Famalicao.
Highlighted Player (Haris Seferovic):
Haris Seferovic is a Swiss international who plays for Primeira Liga club Benfica as a forward. Born in Sursee, Switzerland, on February 22, 1992, Seferovic began his youth career at his hometown club Sursee. In 2004 he moved to Luzern, and he continued his football development at Grasshoppers from 2007 to 2009.
The 189-cm-tall attacker, whose preferred foot is left, made three appearances for the Grasshopper senior team before joining Fiorentina in 2010. Haris Seferovic played for the likes of Xamax, Lecce, and Novara on loan as well before signing a deal with Real Sociedad in the 2013/2014 season.
In the summer of 2014, the Swiss international moved to Eintracht Frankfurt, where he scored 16 goals in 86 appearances in the German top flight. Seferovic, who plays for Benfica nowadays, did well to win the Primeira Liga trophy with the Eagles in the 2018/2019 season. His main position is centre-forward, but he is used as a left winger as well.
Highlighted Team (Maritimo):
Based in Funchal, Madeira, Maritimo are a Portuguese club that compete in Primeira Liga. O Maior das Ilhas (The Greatest of the Islands) play their home matches in the national championship at Estadio do Maritimo.
The stadium was officially founded on May 5, 1957 and it can hold up to 10,932 spectators. Maritimo won their first and only Campeonato de Portugal in the 1925/1926 season, with the team beating Belenenses in the title game 2-0 at Campo do Ameal. Maritimo wear green shirts with red stripes and white shorts when playing on home soil, whilst the colour of their away kit is sky blue.
The Estadio do Maritimo have yet to win the Taca de Portugal trophy, but they made it to the final of the competition on two occasions (1994/95, 2000/01), as well as the final of the Taca da Liga in 2014/2015 and 2015/2016. Nacional are considered the club’s main rivals.