Martin Anselmi earned his first win at Estádio do Dragão where Porto secured a 2-0 victory against AVS. The manager switched to a back four, Rodrigo Mora scoring early on and Nacho Rodríguez sent off in the 46th minute.

Fábio Vieira sealed the deal but the Dragons didn't have it all their own way, Diogo Costa making two great saves to deny John Mercado and Gerson Rodrigues.

Braga backed up their 1-0 victory against Porto by beating Farense 1-0 at Estádio São Luís. 

The Algarve capital club dominated the early stages and saw Rony Lopes test Lukas Hornicek in the 34th minute.

The Warriors came back in the second half and went ahead in the 70th minute. Víctor Gómez found Ricardo Horta on the edge of the box, Horta’s clever pass finding Gabri Martínez who tucked the ball past Ricardo Velho.

Pastor tested Lukas Hornicek from a tight angle but it was Braga who looked more likely to score.

Rúben Furtado spurned two great chances in his senior debut and fellow 19-year-old Diego Rodrigues was unable to get past Velho, the goalkeeper with an unhappy end to his 100th match for Farense.

The win sees Braga temporarily take third spot in the Primeira Liga, three points ahead of Porto who host AVS at Estádio do Dragão.

SL Benfica will be aiming for their sixth consecutive league win when they travel to Vila do Conde to take on Rio Ave FC on Sunday evening. There is still plenty to play for in the Portuguese Primeira Liga for the Eagles with the club trailing first-place Sporting CP by only three points going into the Jornada 26 fixture. Benfica remain within touching distance of their Lisbon rivals and will know that anything less than three points will be a major let-down. 

Rio Ave, meanwhile, will be desperate for a victory as they attempt to secure their first top six finish since 2020. The Rioavistas have a strong record at home, losing just once in 12 matches at the Estádio dos Arcos, and could cause some problems for a Benfica side that is still licking their wounds after being eliminated in the European Champions League.

Borges unworried by potential squad breakup

Times have changed for Sporting Clube de Portugal. So often left trailing in the wake of Benfica and Porto in terms of winning trophies and benefiting from big-money transfers, the Lions seem to have caught up with their eternal rivals on both counts.

Currently top of the league and gunning for a second successive championship title for the first time in 70 years – and a third in five years – the Lisbon club yesterday completed the sale of teenage sensation Geovany Quenda and holding midfielder Dário Essugo to Chelsea for a combined fee of 73 million euros.