Benfica won the last photo-thinch against Sporting. Who will be better at Sprint of 2025?

After Benfica’s strength demonstration in the Dragon Stadium with a convincing 4-1 win against FC Porto on the first Sunday of April, there would certainly be many people to tell that Bruno Lage’s team tied at home with Arouca to follow and let the precious two-point advantage over Sporting, who had a day before he had defeated Santa Clara in the Azores. However, surpassed with distinction the challenges of the last weekend, the old rivals of Lisbon leave in punctual equality for the last four hours of a championship to the red.

It is necessary to retreat 54 years until the 1970/71 time to find a similar scenario. At the time, Benfica trained by English Jimmy Hagan would eventually prevail thanks to an entirely victorious final stretch with four wins, while Sporting led by Fernando Vaz only achieved two, having a draw and a defeat. But more recently, nine years ago (2015/16), the decision even went to the last round: under the command of Rui Vitória, the eagles had two points more than the lions of Jorge Jesus and the 4-1 victory in the receipt of the national sealed the conquest of the sixth three-time championship, and was of no way the 4-0 rout imposed by the green and white to SC Braga in Minho.

Benfica also has the story on their side with regard to direct confrontations with Sporting. In the 324 games played among the emblems, they won 139 against 115 favorable to sportinguists and knows that the next chapter of the “eternal derby”, on the penultimate journey, is in Luz, where he won 55% of the duels before the neighbor of the second circular. Still, attributing favoritism to the incarnate eventually appears to be shot in the dark. Not only because of the rivalry in question, marked by a passion that goes far beyond these numbers, but also because they have a more demanding calendar.

Next Sunday, Benfica begins by hosting the distressed SAD Aves, a team with which they lost two points on the first lap and which is determined to save themselves at all costs of dispromotion places. Following is the visit to the already quiet Estoril Praia, before the long awaited and intense meeting with the collective oriented by Rui Borges, the coach who debuted in Alvalade precisely with a victory over the benfiquists in December, ending the negative series of results starring predecessor João Pereira. Finally, the trip to the difficult land of SC Braga, whose ambition to hold third place over FC Porto could further spice up.

Sporting also begins this crucial phase of the race on Sunday with the trip to Bessa to face a Boavista animated by the positive effect of the new coach and continues in the fight for maintenance. The Leonine team then receives Gil Vicente, who, although not yet free from the division descent, is breathing better. Then comes the direct clash in Benfica’s stronghold that can immediately define the national champion and close at home, the opponent is Vitória SC, already unconcerned in the classification table and without major goals to achieve.

Benfica, a title record holder in the competition, is looking for the 39th and Sporting of 21st. To this end, each of the clubs naturally has several cards ready to play on one side and the other there are the inevitable asses of trump card. The eagles place a lot of confidence in the sense of opportunity of the Greek spear tip Vangelis Pavlidis, author until the moment of 27 goals and nine assists in 48 matches in this debut season with the incarnated nightgown. In turn, the lions bet hard on the explosiveness of the Swedish striker Viktor Gyökeres, a true phenomenon that in the second year of green and white has scored 47 goals and 11 decisive passes in 46 games.

But neither Bruno Lage nor Rui Borges is spared to headaches on the sprint to the goal. Among the benfiquists, although the physical complaints of Di María and Tomás Araújo did not prove as serious as they seemed, the absence of Alexander Bah, Manu Silva and Renato Sanches are certain by injury. In sportinguist hosts, although Morita is practically recovered, Nuno Santos, Daniel Bragança and João Simões remain injured.

Almost decided in England and Germany

If in Portugal uncertainty about the champion is total, the perspectives in the Premier League and Bundesliga are closer to what happened in France, where the PSG of the Portuguese Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, João Neves and Gonçalo Ramos has already had the party.

In England, Diogo Jota celebrates the conquest of the title with Liverpool if Reds Defeat Tottenham this Sunday, while in Germany Raphaël Guerreiro and João Palhinha can do the same this Saturday with Bayern Munich if the Bavarians supplant Mainz and Bayern Leverkusen does not win.

Tighter accounts in Spain and Italy

With six journeys to play in the Spanish League, Barcelona has four points of advantage over Arquirrival Real Madrid and only depends on himself. The teams face four rounds of the end and this may be the determining moment.

In Italy, only five hours left for the end and Rui Patrício’s Atalanta has seven delay points against Inter and Naples, who are tied at the top and are the favorites in a fight that has everything to be throbbing.