The semi-finals of Portugal’s Taca de Liga get underway on Tuesday, with Benfica and Boavista going head-to-head in Leiria.
With a whopping 25 points between third-place Benfica and eleventh-place Boavista in the Primeira Liga standings, the Eagles head into the semi-finals as heavy favourites.
📸 Treino matinal no Benfica Campus!#EPluribusUnum #AllianzCup pic.twitter.com/yv9BlKPS3w— SL Benfica (@SLBenfica) January 24, 2022
📸 Treino matinal no Benfica Campus!#EPluribusUnum #AllianzCup pic.twitter.com/yv9BlKPS3w
Benfica finished top of their Taca da Liga group, which included Vitoria de Guimaraes and Sporting de Covilha.
Nelson Verissimo’s men went unbeaten during the group stage, scoring six goals in the process. After drawing 3-3 with Guimaraes, they beat Covilha 3-0.
Benfica have lost just three of their 19 Primeira Liga games this season, picking up 14 wins and two draws along the way.
Not only are they the highest scorers in the Portugal’s top flight, but they also boast one of the best defensive records in the division.
Thanks to a straightforward 2-0 victory over Arouca on Friday, the Eagles head into Tuesday’ semi-final on a three-match unbeaten streak.
Meanwhile, Boavista had to come through four clashes to book their spot in the semi-finals of the Taca da Liga.
Their journey started all the way back in July with a 1-0 win over Maritimo. After beating Portimonense and Pacos de Ferreira, they thrashed Braga 5-1 last month.
However, things have been going well for Boavista in Primeira Liga. Indeed, they have only managed to win three of their 19 league games this term.
Although they have suffered just six defeats in the process, they have picked up a league-high ten draws this season.
Head-to-head: Boavista have won only one of their previous eight meetings with Benfica across all competitions, suffering seven losses along the way.
It is also worth noting that Benfica have scored over 1.5 goals in each of their past seven victories over Boavista.
Team news: Benfica will be without injured duo Rodrigo Pinho and Lucas Verissimo on Tuesday. Jan Vertonghen and Haris Seferovic are also doubts.
As for Boavista, they currently have four players sidelined through injury – Fran Pereira, Javi Garica, Alireza Beiranvand and Pedro Malheiro.
Given the big gulf between these two sides in the Primeira Liga standings, Benfica should claim a comfortable win on Tuesday.
Forebet predicts that Benfica will score over 1.5 goals on their way to victory, keeping a clean sheet in the process.