On Friday night, Famalicao host Benfica at the Estadio Municipal 22 de Junho, 19°, as the visitors look to kick-off their Primeira Liga title challenge with a victory.
Famalicao were one of the surprise packages in the Primeira Liga last season, finishing sixth-place and missing out on European qualification by just a point. A slightly inconsistent league run at the end of last season proved costly for Joao Pedro Sousa’s team, as Famalicao won just two of their final eight games in the Portuguese top-flight.
🗓️ Our 2020/2021 Liga NOS fixtures in one place, all for you.#WeAreBenfica pic.twitter.com/vb0XBc8SoA— SL Benfica (@slbenfica_en) August 28, 2020
🗓️ Our 2020/2021 Liga NOS fixtures in one place, all for you.#WeAreBenfica pic.twitter.com/vb0XBc8SoA
However, on the flip-side Famalicao also suffered just one defeat in their final eight Primeira Liga games, as they simply drew too many games to finish in the European qualification spots.
Famalicao’s home form towards the end of the campaign was not great, as they claimed just two wins in their final ten league matches on home soil, which includes failing to win in their last four home matches in the Portuguese top-flight.
Benfica lost their Primeira Liga crown last season to perennial rivals Porto, finishing five points behind the eventual champions in the league.
The Eagles ended last season with a five-game unbeaten run in the Portuguese top-flight, recording four wins in the process. That good run included the visitors scoring at least two goals in all their four wins.
Benfica were not great on their travels in the Primeira Liga last season towards the end of the league campaign, winning just three of their previous eight league games on their travels. One positive for the Eagles on the road is that they have scored in 25 of their last 26 league outings.
The visitors head into this game on the back of a surprise 2-1 defeat against PAOK in the third qualifying round of the Champions League.
Forebet predicts that Benfica will kick-off their Primeira Liga title challenge with a victory in a high-scoring encounter.