Most clubs in the second tier more or less know what their aims are now.

With the internationals dominating the agenda, this scaled-back weekend of action enabled us see two games involving four sides that are much fancied to be Primeira Liga sides in 2024/2025.

Leaders AVS met Nacional da Madeira, while Paços de Ferreira hosted second-placed Santa Clara. How did it pan out? 

This one will be talked about for a long time, especially if Benfica go on to win the 2023/24 Portuguese championship.

The Eagles looked down and out after failing to peg back Sporting’s one-goal halftime lead from a superb Viktor Gyökeres goal despite the visitors being reduced to 10 men for practically the whole of the second half.

But strikes from man-of-the-match João Neves and Casper Tengstedt in the 93rd and 96th minutes turned the match on its head and sent Benfica above their Lisbon rivals to the top of the table. 

• Vitória de Guimarães,
• André Silva
• Francisco Conceicao
• Diogo Costa

Vitória SC 1-2 FC Porto

FC Porto have kept in touch with the leaders of the Primeira Liga after coming back from a goal down to defeat Vitória de Guimarães 2-1 away from home, this Saturday.

The hosts started strong with an opener from André Silva, testing Diogo Costa another handful of times in a moment of dominance against Sérgio Conceição’s men.

Porto sought answers in Francisco Conceição who, in the space of 20 minutes between the first and second period, assisted Zaidu Sanusi before grabbing the headlines for himself with the winner for the Dragons.

The Lisbon derby. One of the biggest games in the Portuguese football calendar. That’s right, this weekend Estoril will be hosting Casa Pia in a quite simply unmissable game.

Jokes aside, this weekend is of course all about Benfica vs. Sporting, and what better time could there be for a massive game like this with Lisbon’s two biggest clubs in markedly different places at the minute? 

PortuGOAL previews the huge encounter in the Portuguese capital and the rest of the weekend schedule.