So the title race is back on then! Well at least that’s what we’ve been telling ourselves here at Long Ball Futebol. Last weekend was filled with massive results affecting not only the title race but also the race for Europe and the relegation scrap.
It’s set this week up nicely for what could be an ever more exciting weekend of football. PortuGOAL previews the weekend action.
Benfica cannot afford to drop any more points. Despite the 4-point buffer at the top, Porto can taste blood and will be hot on their tail, and let's not forget about Braga who are 6 points behind the leaders, especially as they have to play Benfica in a few weeks.
After drawing with Arouca last weekend, Sporting’s attempt to catch up with Braga may seem all but over but Rúben Amorim will certainly not let his team give up. They’ll be facing a Vitória side looking to take back 5th spot from Arouca, who have deservedly earnt their position in the final European place as it stands.
Friday action in Jamor: Casa Pia v Braga
The Friday night game which kicks off this weekend sees Braga travel to Casa Pia. At one point earlier in the season we were tipping newly promoted Casa Pia for a European place. Perhaps it was a little naive to expect them to maintain that level all season, and after the winter break they did experience a drop in form. However they are still a very competitive team who have given every side this season a good game. Braga will know this all too well having lost to them 1-0 in the home fixture back in November. Back then Rafael Martins was the goalscorer and having scored in each of his last 3 games he could be a threat once again.
Braga have threats of their own though and the sparkling form of January signing Bruma has boosted Braga’s fire power in attack through his goals and perhaps more importantly assists. Braga have 18 different goal scorers so far this season which highlights the flexibility Artur Jorge has had throughout his team selecting various combinations of players in attack, midfield and defence but maintaining that consistency. Whether that’s playing Ricardo Horta up top, out wide or in midfield, bringing in Banza to play striker, giving André Horta a chance in midfield over Racic; all these opportunities to tweak the team have meant we have seen a better Braga who can turn games that might have been draws last season into wins. Of their 61 goals Braga have scored so far this season 24 of those have come in the last 15 minutes of the game.
Daunting task for Paços against re-energised Porto
After an incredibly damaging loss to Marítimo last weekend Pacos would have appreciated an easier opponent than Porto this Saturday. César Pexioto has said himself it will be hard for them to survive now but it’s still mathematically possible and that’s what they’ve got to fight for. We’ve seen moments of magic from the likes of Nico Gaitan and Adrian Butzke and on their day they could trouble Porto’s defence. Jordan Holsgrove, who came off after just eight minutes against Marítimo may be a doubt and his absence from the midfield was obvious for the rest of that game.
Porto have had their injury issues too and despite Danny Namaso coming on and getting the winner last week, Mehdi Taremi’s absence was clear to see in Porto’s attack last week. The message coming out of Porto has always been they still believe they can catch Benfica even when the gap was 11 points. Now that’s it down to four that belief will be even greater.
Benfica aim to bounce back against struggling Estoril
After Benfica’s Champions league campaign came to whimpering end, they can surely now focus on the league and what better way to get back to winning ways than facing free-falling Estoril. After coming in for sacked former Benfica boss Nélson Veríssimo, Ricardo Soares has lost 5 out of the 6 games he’s been in charge which has seen Estoril slip dangerously close to the relegation playoff place. With just three points separating themselves and Marítimo, the danger is real and things need to change fast.
This once young, vibrant team has seen the addition of experienced veterans such as Edson Mexer and Cassiano come in to steady the ship, but if anything they look less stable than before. Ricardo Soares has been unable to find the right combination of players and had to rely on the magic of Benfica loanee Tiago Gouvia for goals and creativity. He’ll be unavailable for this game which really sways things even further in Benfica’s favour. They need to bounce back quickly and there will be no excuses should they falter at home to Estoril.
Arouca v Vizela European clash
Our ‘game of the week’ chosen on this week’s podcast is Arouca v Vizela on Sunday night. Not two teams at the beginning of the season who we thought would be challenging for Europe. In fact we tipped them to be relegated! It’s therefore been a pleasure to watch these two teams flourish this season having been promoted last term.
Arouca have been the more impressive of the two and under Armando Evangelista have only lost 3 times in their last 15 games, those defeats coming against Braga, Benfica and Porto. They are hard-working, organised, and like to catch teams on the break. Having looked to lesser used markets for players they have unearthed the likes of Morlaye Sylla and Oday Dabbagh who have brought immense quality for almost no transfer fees.
Vizela are similar to Arouca in how quickly they can build up attacks. Milutin Osmajic has been incredible this season and been at the end of a lot of their attacks, but the midfield battle in this game may be the most interesting. Vizela has the better midfield – Samu and Guzzo have 12 goals and assists between them this season – and are both incredibly underrated.
Sporting v Vitória in the “Marcus Edwards” derby
Finally, Sporting make a rare appearance on a Monday night away at struggling Vitória. Defensive injuries have seen Vitória gain only one point from their last five games, seeing them lose their grasp on 5th place. Sporting are having their own problems with form and it will be interesting to see how the Lions react to their somewhat unfortunate elimination against Juventus in the Europa League.
Marcus Edwards and Rochinha head back to their old stopping ground. Although Rochinha has barely featured for Sporting, the Englishman is now an integral part of the starting XI of the Lisbon club, he is coming off a brilliant display against Juventus, and will be keen to get one over on his old club.
Five players to keep an eye on this weekend
Rafael Martins (Casa Pia): The veteran Brazilian striker was a shrewd signing for Casa Pia in the summer, brought in to provide some important top flight experience to their front line. He’s also something of a cult hero for the Long Ball Futebol podcast, and whilst we wouldn’t usually need any excuse to include him, his 3 goals in his last 3 games make him a real threat to Braga. Don’t be surprised if he pops up with a vital goal.
Alexandre Penetra (Famalicão): The young Portuguese defender has been a favourite of ours to watch this season. A centre-back by trade, he’s made a name for himself as one of the best right backs in the league this season, and at just 21 years of age has captained Famalicão on occasion showing real maturity for his age. He provided a wonderful assist in Famalicão’s last game and could be influential both defensively and in attack.
Gaius Makouta (Boavista): In a season full of ups and downs for Boavista, Gaius Makouta has been a consistent positive. His eye-catching displays from midfield have increased his reputation massively, and with one goal and three assists in his last four games, he’s in a really good run of form.
João Mário (Benfica): An awful lot has been said about João Mário this season. The league’s joint top scorer is having one of the best seasons of his career, but Benfica’s form has dropped off recently and this weekend’s game against Estoril is huge for getting their season back on track. Their talisman getting back to his goalscoring best will be vital.
Rafa Mujica (Arouca): Arouca are the team everyone’s talking about, and they’ve got a massive game this weekend against Vizela. Spanish striker Rafa Mujica has been in fine form recently with 5 goals in 8 games helping Arouca fight for European football.
By Barney Carter-Phillips
