The historical statistics make for stark reading from a Sporting point of view. Over the last eight seasons the Lions have only beaten city rivals Benfica once in 16 attempts in the liga, losing eight times and drawing the other seven. This part explains why it has been Benfica competing with Porto to conquer the Primeira Liga for what seems like forever, while Sporting look on from the outside.

But this season is shaping up to be different. A new-look Sporting has started the 2020/21 campaign brilliantly, winning 12 and drawing three of their 15 Liga matches to date to sit atop the table. Victory at Alvalade this evening will potentially be a knockout blow to Benfica’s chances of catching Rúben Amorim’s team, as it would open up a 9-point gap between the two clubs. PortuGOAL previews Monday night’s Lisbon derby. 

The jam-packed Portuguese schedule continued this week with Liga NOS’s 15th round of 2020/21. The league’s surprise package Paços Ferreira continued their brilliant run with a convincing triumph at Marítimo, whilst Belenenses SAD and Santa Clara reversed some recent struggles with important victories over Tondela and Rio Ave respectively.

Braga and Porto responded to last week’s Taça da Liga disappointments with narrow wins, although Benfica’s worries continued in a stalling draw with Nacional.

The aforementioned Taça da Liga disappointments came courtesy of eventual winners Sporting, whose manager Rúben Amorim picked up another trophy in his fledgling career. He followed it up by guiding his team to maintaining their lead at the top of the domestic division against Boavista on Tuesday night, and he is the PortuGOAL Figure of the Week.

• Boavista
• Benfica
• Sporting,
• FC Porto,
• Farense
• Nacional
• Mehdi Taremi
• Pedro Porro

Corona-struck Benfica have fallen two points behind second-placed FC Porto after drawing 1-1 against Nacional da Madeira without a handful of their first-team players.

The Eagles took the lead early at the Estádio da Luz before Bryan Rochez’s equaliser set Jorge Jesus’ men up for another Primeira Liga slip-up, prior to Porto’s trip to Faro on Monday.

Farense weren’t able to do Benfica a favour, despite their best efforts against the Dragons, losing 1-0 at home to a 15th-minute Mehdi Taremi goal.

Table-topping Sporting were in action the following day, sitting comfortably in first after a 2-0 victory away from home against Boavista. Meanwhile Sporting de Braga reasserted themselves in fourth with a 1-0 win versus Gil Vicente.

• Sporting,
• Sporting de Braga,
• Ruben Amorim
• Pedro Porro
• Allianz Cup

Sporting 1-0 Sp. Braga

Sporting have become the Allianz League Cup champions after a sole goal from Pedro Porro tipped the balance against Sporting de Braga in a 1-0 victory, tonight.

In the intense rain, a strike from Porro in the first period, arriving late in the half, gave Sporting a hard-earned advantage going into the break.

The Lions required a great deal of huffing and puffing in the subsequent period, littered with half chances at either end before showing enough resilience to clinch back-to-back League Cup wins for boss Rubén Amorim, defeating the holders.