Sporting CP will renew hostilities with Benfica when the Lisbon rivals meet at Estadio Jose Alvalade in the Taca de Portugal semi-finals on Thursday night.
Benfica have avoided defeat in each of their last four meetings with Sporting, although the Lions defeated the Eagles in the 2022 Taca da Liga final.
This preview covers all the key stats and trends for the Derby de Lisboa. Utilising artificial intelligence, Forbet’s algorithm will predict the outcome of Thursday’s showdown.
Let's start by looking at the hosts, Sporting, who played out an eventful 3-3 draw with Rio Ave on Sunday, coming from behind on two occasions to rescue a point.
As a result, the Lions find themselves second in the Portuguese top flight – two points shy of Benfica with a game in hand on the league leaders.
In the Taca de Portugal, Sporting have racked up 18 goals and three clean sheets across four matches this campaign, conceding a solitary goal in the process.
Averaging 4.5 goals per game in this season’s Taca de Portugal, Sporting will be hopeful of notching a first-leg advantage at Estadio Jose Alvalade on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Benfica thrashed Portimonense 4-0 last time out, registering 69% possession and 22 shots, with Rafa Silva bagging a brace in the rout.
That victory extended Benfica’s unbeaten run across all competitions to eight matches, with a solitary defeat coming in their previous 22 encounters.
It’s fair to say that Benfica have experienced a trickier run to the Taca de Portugal semi-finals, as they have come past SC Lusitania, Famalicao, Braga and Vizela to reach the last four.
Following a 3-2 victory over Braga, the Eagles booked their place in the semi-finals with a 2-1 win against Vizela, highlighting their difficult run to the last four.
Head-to-head: Although Sporting have failed to win any of their last four matches against Benfica, both sides have won three of the previous eight meetings.
It is also worth noting that six of the last seven meetings have produced over 2.5 goals, with four of those encounters serving up over 3.5 goals.
Team news: Sporting’s star man is Viktor Gyokeres, who has bagged 30 goals and 11 assists this season, including five goals and three assists in three Taca de Portugal appearances.
As for Benfica, Rafa has racked up 17 goals and 14 assists across all competitions this term, while veteran winger Angel Di Maria has notched 14 goals and eight assists.
Given the recent high-scoring encounters between Sporting and Benfica, Thursday’s clash looks set to be another eventful affair.
Forebet predicts that Sporting and Benfica will share over 3.5 goals at Estadio Jose Alvalade, setting up a winner-takes-all decider in the second leg.