Sporting Lisbon vs. Benfica: League Cup Match Preview & Prediction

On Saturday, at the Estadio Dr. Magalhaes Pessoa, the 2024-25 Taca da Liga championship will be decided in a ferocious Lisbon rivalry between Sporting Lisbon and Benfica.

When these two Lisbon giants clashed in the tournament two years ago, the Leoes came out on top, winning the cup for the first time in their history with goals from Goncalo Incao and Pablo Sarabia in the second half.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Sporting Lisbon will be looking to avoid a repeat of their crushing 4-3 loss to rivals Porto in August's Portuguese Super Cup and win their first trophy of the season.

In getting to the final, Rui Borges's squad demonstrated their worth by beating Nacional 3-1 in the quarterfinals on October 29 and overcoming Porto 1-0 in Tuesday's semi-final match.

Viktor Gyokeres, a Swedish striker, kept up his impressive streak at the Estadio Jose Alvalade, scoring the game-winning goal for Sporting Lisbon four minutes before the hour to advance to the final.

After losing their first four games in a row, the Leoes have won their last six in a row in all competitions. During this winning streak, they have scored eleven goals, allowed just three, and kept a clean sheet three times.

Sporting Lisbon remains atop the Primeira Liga standings with 41 points from 17 games, one point ahead of second-placed Porto—though they have a game in hand—so winning the Taca da Liga might be a massive boost to their chances of winning the league championship.

Conversely, Benfica marched to a 3-0 semi-final win against 10-man Braga at the Estadio da Luz on Wednesday, securing their place in the Taca do Liga final in spectacular fashion.

To advance to the final, the host team needed a goal from Alvaro Carreras in the 28th minute and an outstanding individual performance from Angel Di Maria. Di Maria had previously defeated Santa Clara by the same margin in the quarterfinals in October.

Last time out, Benfica fell 1-0 to Sporting Lisbon on December 29 (ending their nine-game undefeated streak in all competitions), then in the first leg of their league and cup doubleheader on January 4, they lost 2-1 to Braga.

With 38 points after 17 games, Bruno Lage's team is in third place in the Primeira Liga, three points behind leader Sporting. Despite a recent slump in play, they are still in the championship hunt.

With a winning streak that extends to eight seasons, Benfica will enter the weekend hoping to keep up their impressive play against Braga and win the Taca da Liga for the first time since the 2015–2016 season, when they defeated Maritimo 6-2 in the final.

The opposition, whom As Aguias lost to 2-0 in the 2023 cup final, has gone undefeated in their last four derby matches, going 3-0 with a tie in the middle. This streak began in February 2024.

Sporting Lisbon vs. Benfica Team News

As long as Inacio (muscle), Nuno Santos (ligament), and Daniel Braganca (muscle) are sidelined with injuries, Sporting Lisbon will be missing key players.

Portuguese international Pedro Goncalves will miss this weekend's matchup after missing the previous ten due to a muscular ailment he sustained on November 12's loss to Braga.

Gyokeres, who scored the game-winning goal in the previous match against Porto, has already contributed 49 goals this season for his club and nation. The 26-year-old will likely spearhead the home team's offensive efforts.

Tiago Gouveia, a forward for Benfica, has been out since August with a serious shoulder injury he sustained against Estrela Amadora.

Aguias, on the other hand, is fully healthy and not facing any suspension issues going into the final. Thus, Lage has the luxury of fielding a nearly complete team.

Di Maria, the former Argentine international, should start up front again alongside Kerem Akturkoglu and Vangelis Pavlidis after he scored twice against Braga on Wednesday to bring his season total to nineteen goals.

Our Predictions

Sporting Lisbon to win @ 2.40 on Sky247.ng

This intense Lisbon derby will surely be another classic as both Sporting Lisbon and Benfica go all out to capture the Taca da Liga championship.

After losing the Portuguese Super Cup in August, we're betting on the Leoes to win their first trophy of the season by going all out against Benfica and continuing their recent dominance.

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