• Primeira Liga,
• Liga NOS,
• Sporting,
• Bruno Fernandes
• Marcel Keizer
• Frederico Varandas

From a results’ perspective, there can generally be no right or wrong way to rev through a pre-season campaign, with many games heightening the importance of the team’s synergy, physical evolution and tactical projection over any eye-popping results, good or bad, that may come a team’s way.

Sporting stood to test that theory, collating high moments versus the likes of Liverpool and Valencia but, by the end of it all, emerging from preparations with three draws, three losses and, more worryingly, no wins - an unwanted feat not seen by the ‘Green & Whites’ since the summer of 1967.

Panic? No. Well, not until bitter rivals Benfica were able to wreak havoc with a 5-0 battering against the Lions to conquer the Portuguese Super Cup, last Sunday, anyway. As the Sporting faithful digest the daunting figures, PortuGOAL takes a look at the troubling issues following the Lions into the 2019/20 season.

With another Primeira Liga season upon us, Portuguese giants Porto have a big season ahead of them if they wish to wrestle back the league title from their fierce rivals Benfica.

Ending Benfica’s 4-year title winning streak in 2017/18 seems a distant memory for Sérgio Conceição’s side, as two defeats to the Eagles last year as well as some costly dropped points in unexpected circumstances saw the Dragons relinquish their league championship after building a seemingly unassailable lead by Christmas, losing out to the tune of a 2-point margin at the end of the season.

As ever, the expectation will be on the side to add to their proud league history and win a 29th domestic championship, while also trying to go one step further in the Portuguese cups having been ousted in both the Taça de Portugal and Taça da Liga finals on penalties to Sporting in 2018/19, to leave the early season Supertaça as their only discernible silverware from the campaign. How will they go about reclaiming their status as Portugal’s premier team?

• Benfica
• Sporting,
• Pizzi
• Super Cup

Benfica 5-0 Sporting

Benfica claimed the 2019 Portuguese Super Cup after a second-half capitulation from ten-man Sporting saw the Primeira Liga champions put five past the Lions in a 5-0 thrashing, as the two Lisbon outfits went head-to-head in the Estádio do Algarve, tonight.

After a competitive first half of football, edged by Benfica following Rafa Silva’s opener, two goals in quick succession set the Eagles into a 3-0 lead midway through the second period.

A Pizzi brace took the score to four soon after, leaving the final honours to new-boy Chiquinho to pick up, as the ex-Moreirense man got himself off the mark in red and white to conclude a forgettable night for Sporting.

• FC Porto,
• Yacine Brahimi
• Shoya Nakajima
• Ze Luis
• Luis Diaz
• Hector Herrera
• Enzo Saravia
• Ivan Marcano
• Felipe
• Eder Militao

With or without an end-of-season collapse that saw FC Porto’s competitive rivals, Benfica and Sporting, overcome the Dragons with Primeira Liga and Taça de Portugal success, respectively, a period of transition had always been forecast for the ‘Blue & Whites’ ahead of the 2019/20 campaign.

Big-money sales, followed by further departures from contract rebels has left Sérgio Conceição’s gazing at a somewhat depleted squad. Reconstruction comes via the recent captures of Japan international Shoya Nakajima and Spartak Moscow forward Zé Luis, with more names bound to walk through the door at the Estádio do Dragão.

As the transfer machine continues to operate in full force on northern territory, PortuGOAL recaps what has so far been a hectic summer for outgoings and new arrivals in the Invicta city.