Weekend review and preview of this week’s European action

After four rounds of the new season the Portuguese championship table has a familiar look to it, with Sporting, Braga, Benfica and FC Porto occupying the top four positions in the standings.

All four teams earned relatively comfortable victories over the weekend and now turn their attention to Europe.

This is where it truly starts. One month into the nascent season, only now does it feel like the Portuguese 2016/17 club season begins in earnest.

After the prolonged Euro 2016 victory celebrations, a manic end to the transfer window and then the international break, Portugal’s biggest clubs at last go full throttle in their quest for domestic and international glory, as Benfica, Sporting and FC Porto will all be playing two games a week until October.

Who will be celebrating in May next year? PortuGOAL assesses the squads, strengths and weaknesses and the potential for successful campaigns for all three teams.

After a pretty mild start to proceedings by Portuguese standards, the transfer window hit top gear in its final week within the confines of the Primeira Liga, with an explosion of activity involving Portugal’s top clubs.

No team felt the adrenaline rush that came with incomings and outgoings as hard as Sporting this season, meanwhile their direct rivals, Benfica and FC Porto, weren’t too far behind, as the clock ticked dangerously close to midnight.

Patrick Ribeiro rounds up who's in and who's out at the "Big Three" and Braga in what turned into one of the most frantic ever summer transfer windows in Portugal.

Sporting 2-1 FC Porto

Sporting were the victors in the first clássico of the season after an entertainingly scrappy affair at the Alvalade.

Felipe gave the Dragões the lead but goals from the departing Islam Slimani and then Gelson Martins gave the win to Sporting, who now lead the Primeira Liga.