Over the next three days, there will be plenty of mouthwatering matches across Europe. In England, the top four sides - Leicester, Tottenham, Arsenal, and Manchester City - will be playing against each other, which could alter the outlook of the league table. In Italy, Juventus and Napoli will clash in a game that could see the Scudetto race change entirely whilst Fiorentina and Inter will go head-to-head in a battle for third and a Champions League spot.
Whilst Premier League and Serie A fans will have to wait until this weekend to tune in to these exciting matches, those interested in the Primeira Liga will have their big game taking place on Friday as Benfica welcome Porto for the second Classico of the season. And it will not just be Benfica and Porto supporters who will have their eyes on the clash, but Sporting CP and their followers will be keeping a close eye on the result.
Jorge Jesus will be very interested to see how his former side fare in the Classico match on Friday
Currently led by ex-Benfica manager Jorge Jesus, Sporting CP are definitely benefiting from the highly experienced and decorated tactician's guidance. The Lions are currently in serious contention to become champions of Portugal for the first time in over a decade, and will be highly interested in the outcome of Friday's Classico.
Here's how the Primeira Liga table currently looks as of Thursday, February 11th and 21 rounds
The above table could look very different after the matches on Friday and Saturday. Let's take a quick look at some of the possible outcomes at the conclusion of matchday 22.
O Classico: Benfica win
As things stand, Rui Vitoria's men are on top of the table and have been in excellent form as of late. The Eagles, who set a record for most Primiera Liga titles won when they clinched their 34th last year, are hoping to make it 35 this term. The last time Benfica lost a match at home was on October 25th, when Sporting CP thrashed them 3-0 and they have been on a 13-game winning streak ever since.
Well, despite having won a whole slew of titles with the Lisbon powerhouse, Jorge Jesus will not want to see his former side Benfica to get revenge on Porto for beating them in them in the first Classico back in September. The Lions are presently tied with the Eagles on points, but a look at the table reveals that Benfica are ahead due to goal difference, having scored a massive 59 goals versus their 14 conceded.
Curiously, all three of Portugal's "Big Three" have given up the same number of goals so far this season. A win for Benfica will put them on 55 points, putting further pressure on Sporting CP to beat Nacional, and even if they do so, they will still be behind due to the massive 16 points in terms of goal differential between the two sides.
Simply put, the only way for the Lions to overtake one of their bitter rivals will be for Benfica to drop points, and they will be hoping to see Vitoria's side suffer their first defeat of 2016 on Friday.
O Classico: Porto win
With Porto sitting six points behind the top two, a win for the Dragons would in be the ideal scenario for Sporting CP. Although it would halve the deficit to just three, meaning that any slip-ups from Jorge Jesus's side could come back to haunt them, it would at least halt Benfica right in their tracks. The Lions will then head into their game against Nacional gunning for all three points and re-claim top spot since losing it following their 0-0 draw versus Rio Ave in their most recent game.
In terms of head-to-head record for Primeira Liga (not cup) matches between Benfica and Porto, the Dragons have won 64 times versus the Eagles' 55.
O Classico concludes in a stalemate
Of course, tomorrow's Classico could also result in a stalemate as Benfica and Porto cancel each other out. From Sporting CP's perspective, this will be fine as again, it will cause the Eagles to drop two points, and by beating Nacional, Jorge Jesus will see his side the same number of points clear at the top of the table.
But what are the odds for a draw? Well, this exact same fixture finished as a frustrating 0-0 result for both sides on matchday 30. Going back to the first Primeira Liga Classico, which was contested on February 3, 1935, there have been a total of 44 draws out of their 163 games, so to make it 45 is certainly not a shock outcome.
But what if...Sporting lose??
All these scenarios of course are assuming that Jorge Jesus's side will defeat Nacional on Saturday. Considering they have lost just once so far this season, they will obviously be expected to depart with all three points in hand.
However, football is a strange and unpredictable sport, and any fan, regardless of whichever league they support will have seen their fair share of upsets. So, should Sporting CP lose to Nacional for the first time in nearly five years, they could find themselves anywhere from one to three points behind Benfica, or they could remain tied with them on points. But as noted before, if things stay the way they are till the end of the season- with Benfica and Sporting CP having racked up an equal number of points - then the Eagles are pretty much guaranteed to retain their league title.
