In the final action in Portugal before the Christmas break, Benfica and Sporting face tricky encounters while FC Porto strive to end the first half of the season still unbeaten.
The last round of matches before the winter break in Portugal includes some fascinating duels. Benfica take on Rio Ave – a side on a hot run of form – at the Estadio da Luz, while runaway leaders FC Porto have a trip to a venue that is always problematic for the big teams, the Mata Real, home of Paços de Ferreira.
Sporting will be gunning for revenge as they travel to the Bonfim to play Vitoria Setubal for the second successive weekend. The Sadinos knocked the Lions out of the Portuguese Cup last Sunday, and Paulo Sergio knows a similar result on Monday, and a consequent third successive defeat, will inevitably lead to calls for his head.
Elsewhere Braga will try to get their season back on track at home to Academica, while Guimaraes and Leiria will fight to stay at the top of the table with away trips to Beira-Mar and Naval respectively.
Five defeats in their last seven matches have accentuated a poor season for Braga, saved only by notable successes in the Champions League. If the Arsenalistas don’t want to miss out on European football next season they badly need to get their act together in league play. Academica will also look to bounce back after the 5-1 hammering they took at home to Maritimo in the last round.
For all the criticism levelled their way, Benfica have won eight of their last nine league matches, and nobody at the Estadio da Luz has given up hope of renewing their championship crown this season, despite the 8-point gap to leaders FC Porto.
The strike partnership of Javier Saviola and Oscar Cardozo, who wreaked havoc at home and abroad last season, appears to functioning smoothly again, and Jorge Jesus will be keen to send the Benfiquistas home for Christmas on a happy note.
But Rio Ave have hit a rich vein of form, winning four and drawing one of their last five matches, scoring 12 goals in the process. With Portugal U21 striker Yazalde finding the net on a regular basis and veteran marksman Joao Tomas always a threat, an intriguing contest should unfold in Lisbon on Saturday afternoon.
Despite crippling financial woes at boardroom level, newly promoted Beira-Mar have surprised many with their strong showing this season. Guimaraes are riding high in fourth place but have only won two of their six games away from home. A draw looks a good bet in a tricky one to call.
A seven-match unbeaten run in the league, culminating in a superb 5-1 win away at Academica in the last round, has seen Maritimo pull clear of the relegation zone. The islanders will be confident of extending their impressive sequence against a Portimonense side in freefall. The Algarve outfit have lost seven and drawn two of their last nine matches and will surely struggle to get anything from their trip to Madeira.
Just a solitary win from 14 matches in all competitions in 2010/11 tells its own story regarding Naval’s sorry season. Uniao de Leiria, on the other hand, have exceeded all expectations and will be striving for another three points to strengthen their ambitions of claiming a European berth at season’s end.
After a promising start to the season Olhanense have been steadily sliding down the league, and scoring goals has been a problem. Only Naval and Vitoria Setubal have scored fewer than the Algarve club. Nacional, although maddeningly inconsistent, are handily placed just outside the Europa League qualification places.
The two teams met at the same venue last month in the Portuguese Cup, with Olhanense running out 1-0 victors. A similarly tight contest is likely.
Paços de Ferreira are the last team this calendar year to have a crack at inflicting a first defeat on FC Porto in 2010/11. The Dragons have enjoyed an astonishing first half of the season, drawing three and winning all the rest of their 25 games so far.
Young coach Andre Villas-Boas has guided his side to a new club record of 35 matches in all competitions unbeaten, and has done it in style. The free-scoring table toppers are yet to draw a blank this season.
Paços have some talented young players in their squad, namely strikers Mario Rondon and Nelson Oliveira, but anything other than an away win will constitute a surprise.
Just when things seemed to be falling into place for Sporting, successive defeats in the Portuguese Cup and Europa League have set the alarm bells ringing again at the Alvalade.
The first of those losses was precisely against Monday’s opponents, Vitoria Setubal, with the two teams going head to head for the second weekend running. Sporting will be desperate for a win to solidify third place in the table and to end a troubled year on a high.
But Vitoria, managed by former Sporting striker legend Manuel Fernandes, did not win the cup clash by chance, and one cannot help but feel that the Sadinos’ lowly position in the standings is not a true reflection of the quality of the team. The match rounds off the action in Portugal in 2010 and a tight match is in the offing.
Sporting will be gunning for revenge as they travel to the Bonfim to play Vitoria Setubal for the second successive weekend. The Sadinos knocked the Lions out of the Portuguese Cup last Sunday, and Paulo Sergio knows a similar result on Monday, and a consequent third successive defeat, will inevitably lead to calls for his head.
Elsewhere Braga will try to get their season back on track at home to Academica, while Guimaraes and Leiria will fight to stay at the top of the table with away trips to Beira-Mar and Naval respectively.
Five defeats in their last seven matches have accentuated a poor season for Braga, saved only by notable successes in the Champions League. If the Arsenalistas don’t want to miss out on European football next season they badly need to get their act together in league play. Academica will also look to bounce back after the 5-1 hammering they took at home to Maritimo in the last round.
For all the criticism levelled their way, Benfica have won eight of their last nine league matches, and nobody at the Estadio da Luz has given up hope of renewing their championship crown this season, despite the 8-point gap to leaders FC Porto.
The strike partnership of Javier Saviola and Oscar Cardozo, who wreaked havoc at home and abroad last season, appears to functioning smoothly again, and Jorge Jesus will be keen to send the Benfiquistas home for Christmas on a happy note.
But Rio Ave have hit a rich vein of form, winning four and drawing one of their last five matches, scoring 12 goals in the process. With Portugal U21 striker Yazalde finding the net on a regular basis and veteran marksman Joao Tomas always a threat, an intriguing contest should unfold in Lisbon on Saturday afternoon.
Despite crippling financial woes at boardroom level, newly promoted Beira-Mar have surprised many with their strong showing this season. Guimaraes are riding high in fourth place but have only won two of their six games away from home. A draw looks a good bet in a tricky one to call.
A seven-match unbeaten run in the league, culminating in a superb 5-1 win away at Academica in the last round, has seen Maritimo pull clear of the relegation zone. The islanders will be confident of extending their impressive sequence against a Portimonense side in freefall. The Algarve outfit have lost seven and drawn two of their last nine matches and will surely struggle to get anything from their trip to Madeira.
Just a solitary win from 14 matches in all competitions in 2010/11 tells its own story regarding Naval’s sorry season. Uniao de Leiria, on the other hand, have exceeded all expectations and will be striving for another three points to strengthen their ambitions of claiming a European berth at season’s end.
After a promising start to the season Olhanense have been steadily sliding down the league, and scoring goals has been a problem. Only Naval and Vitoria Setubal have scored fewer than the Algarve club. Nacional, although maddeningly inconsistent, are handily placed just outside the Europa League qualification places.
The two teams met at the same venue last month in the Portuguese Cup, with Olhanense running out 1-0 victors. A similarly tight contest is likely.
Paços de Ferreira are the last team this calendar year to have a crack at inflicting a first defeat on FC Porto in 2010/11. The Dragons have enjoyed an astonishing first half of the season, drawing three and winning all the rest of their 25 games so far.
Young coach Andre Villas-Boas has guided his side to a new club record of 35 matches in all competitions unbeaten, and has done it in style. The free-scoring table toppers are yet to draw a blank this season.
Paços have some talented young players in their squad, namely strikers Mario Rondon and Nelson Oliveira, but anything other than an away win will constitute a surprise.
Just when things seemed to be falling into place for Sporting, successive defeats in the Portuguese Cup and Europa League have set the alarm bells ringing again at the Alvalade.
The first of those losses was precisely against Monday’s opponents, Vitoria Setubal, with the two teams going head to head for the second weekend running. Sporting will be desperate for a win to solidify third place in the table and to end a troubled year on a high.
But Vitoria, managed by former Sporting striker legend Manuel Fernandes, did not win the cup clash by chance, and one cannot help but feel that the Sadinos’ lowly position in the standings is not a true reflection of the quality of the team. The match rounds off the action in Portugal in 2010 and a tight match is in the offing.
