SL Benfica will host Gil Vicente FC at the Estádio da Luz on Saturday with the Lisbon club looking to continue their impressive form under the new manager Bruno Lage. The Jornada 7 matchup will not be an easy fixture for the home side who face a resilient Gil Vicente side that has remained undefeated over their last five Primeira Liga games.
Preview
After a shaky start to the season, Benfica have steadied the ship. A dismal opening round loss to FC Famalicão was followed by some uninspiring performances that led to the club parting ways with manager Roger Schmidt. Benfica, however, remain within touching distance of first-place Sporting CP and second-place FC Porto, trailing their rivals by just five points and two points, respectively. The club sit in third position with 13 points from their first six games.
The return of manager Bruno Lage, now in his second spell with the club, has led to renewed optimism, and more importantly, a string of improved performances. Under the Portuguese manager’s leadership, Benfica secured a well-deserved 2-1 away win against Red Star Belgrade in the UEFA Champions League and have won consecutive matches in the Primeira Liga against Santa Clara and Boavista. They have scored nine goals and conceded two over their last three matches.
The additions of Greek striker Vangelis Pavlidis and Turkish winger Kerem Aktürkoğlu in the summer transfer window and the emergence of Argentine winger Benjamín Rollheiser, bought in the previous winter transfer window, have provided some much needed firepower for the Eagles. Goals seem to be coming from all areas of the field for this dynamic attack. Midfielder Orkun Kökçü leads the way with three goals in all competitions, with Pavilidis and Aktürkoğlu just behind him with two each. Overall, 10 different players have scored for Benfica over seven matches this season.
Gil Vicente also began their 2024/25 campaign with a defeat, falling 3-0 to FC Porto at the Estádio do Dragão in early August, Since the opening weekend, however, Bruno Pinheiro’s side have bounced back with seven points from the last five matches. They have scored six goals and conceded just four over those five games. Gil Vicente are ninth in the league table and have a three point cushion over the relegation zone.
A 4-2 victory at home against AVS has been the highlight of the season for Os Galos but the Barcelos club have struggled to get wins under their belt over the opening phase of the competition. Despite some attractive attacking play on the pitch, Gil Vicente were only able to secure draws against Estoril Praia, SC Braga, FC Famalicão and Casa Pia AC over their last four games.
Six goals in six matches will provide some hope for the Gilistas but the fact that only three different players have got on the scoresheet this season will be cause for concern. Gil Vicente will need some of their forwards to contribute more if they hope to avoid dropping down the table.
Odds
Benfica: 1.17, Gil Vicente: 13.50, Draw: 6.60
Over 3.5 total goals: 2.02, Under 3.5 goals: 1.55
*All odds provided from Betano.pt. Odds are subject to change prior to kick off.
Form Guide (Liga Portugal)
Benfica:
| W | W | D | W | W |
Gil Vicente:
| W | D | D | D | D |
Head-to-head record
Gil Vicente and Benfica have met on 51 occasions before with the Lisbon side winning 75 percent of those matches. The two sides have faced off at the Estádio da Luz 26 times with Benfica winning 20 games, Gil Vicente winning twice and four draws.
In recent seasons, Benfica have held the advantage winning all four encounters over the last two seasons. Gil Vicente did pull off an improbable upset on 2 February 2002, winning 2-1 in Lisbon.
Players to Watch
Benfica’s new signings have started well but it is a player the club signed in the summer of 2023 that seems to be finally hitting his stride. Orkun Kökçü struggled to adapt to Roger Schmidt’s rigid formation last season and there was heavy pressure on the Turkish player coming into the season due to the massive €25m million fee paid to Feynoord for the 23-year-old.
Kökçü has been fantastic over the early stages of the competition. His defensive presence, along with his ability to control the tempo of the game have been key factors in Benfica’s revival this year. The versatile midfielder leads the squad with three goals in all competitions, including a vital goal against Red Star in the Champions League that turned out to be the winner.
Gil Vicente’s attacking midfielder Kanya Fujimoto has been phenomenal so far this season. The Japanese playmaker is used predominantly behind the lone striker and most of the team’s attacks go through the skilful No10.
Fujimoto was brought over from Tokyo Verdy in 2020 and has been instrumental in keeping Gil Vicente competitive in the league over the previous three seasons, improving year on year. In 2022/23, he recorded one goal and four assists over 34 appearances. In 2023/24, those numbers improved significantly with Fujimoto finishing with five goals and eight assists.
This season, the 25-year-old is off to a flying start with 4 goals and an assist over six matches, including an incredible hat-trick against AVS on August 16.
