The current Primeira Liga champions Benfica have made an unsurprisingly strong start to their league campaign. Bruno Lage’s team are sitting top of the table, two points clear of rivals Porto in the race for the title.
On Friday night, the champions make a trip to inconsistent Boavista, with the visitors looking to stretch their lead at the top of the table.
Benfica are on a good run of form in the Portuguese top-flight, winning their last nine league games since an August defeat by rivals Porto. In fact, the Eagles have won 20 of their last 21 league outings in the Primeira Liga.
It will not be a shock to many that the visitors have been prolific of late in the Portuguese top-flight, scoring at least two goals in their last four outings. They are also the top scorers in the division.
Brazilian striker Carlos Vinicius has played a big role in Benfica’s attacking endeavours of late, scoring seven times in his ten appearances in the Portuguese top-flight. The 24-year-old will be confident of adding to his goal tally on Friday night.
Boavista are fifth-place in the table, two points outside the European spots in the league table. However, in truth, the home side has experienced an inconsistent season so far.
A 2-1 victory at Santa Clara in their last league match was only their second win in their last eight matches. The win ended a mini two-game losing run in the Primeira Liga.
A lack of goals has been a problem for Boavista this season. None of the teams currently in the top 11 of the table has scored fewer than the home side this season.
On current form, it will come as little surprise that Forebet predicts Benfica will record a relatively comfortable victory in a low-scoring encounter.