Our prediction for this Portugal Primeira Liga match:
There will be fireworks when Benfica and Sporting face each other in the Lisbon derby on Friday evening. The Eagles outplayed hit-by-coronavirus Belenenses 7-0 at the weekend, with the team remaining in the title race. Benfica are eyeing their third consecutive league win, and they are likely to stick to their attacking style of play. Fit-again Switzerland international Haris Seferovic should keep his place in the starting XI, as well as fellow attacker Darwin Nunez.
The likes of Lucas Verissimo and Rodrigo Pinho are likely to miss the game with injuries. Sporting CP, on the other hand, are on an eleven-game winning run in all competitions. The Lions faced no difficulties in a 2-0 win over Tondela, and given their attacking potential, we believe that there is a big value in betting on both teams to score in the local derby. Both Cabral and Vinagre should miss out with injuries for the away team.
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 (Sporting):
When it comes to official club members, Portugal giants Sporting Lisbon are the sixth club in the world. Commonly referred to as Leoes which is Portuguese for Lions, Sporting Lisbon were founded in 1906 and are one of the founders of the Primeira Liga.
Sporting’s main rivals are Benfica, with both teams contesting the Lisbon Derby, one of the most fierce ones in Europe. Lions play their games at Estadio Jose Alvelade in front of 50,000 people and are the third most successful club in the country with 46 titles in Portuguese competitions and a title in the European Cup Winner’s Cup from 1963-64.
During this time that is also known as the club’s golden years, Sporting Lisbon won the majority of their 18 Primeira Liga titles in total. Sporting Lisbon boasts the quality football youth academy system which has yielded world-class footballers such as Paulo Furte, Simao Sabrosa, Nani and Ballon d’Or winners Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo.