With no matches on Sunday as Portugal elects its next President, Portuguese soccer fans are in for a rare treat on Saturday with seven Liga ZON Sagres matches on offer.
Benfica refuse to let the race for the 2010/11 Portuguese title turn into a procession. The reigning champions have worked hard to keep the gap separating them from their bitter rivals FC Porto down to eight points, winning 11 of their last 12 matches in the league. But the Eagles face a tough examination on Saturday as they host Nacional, unbeaten themselves in six games.
Leaders Porto also face tricky opposition. The leaders travel to Aveiro where hosts Beira-Mar have only lost one game all season. With Sporting travelling to the always difficult Maritimo, it will be interesting to see whether any of the traditional big three drop points.
At the other end of the table it is a veritable six-pointer as the bottom two Naval and Portimonense fight out a relegation tussle. The losers can surely as good as give up hope of survival in the top flight.
Paços have had a week to remember, clocking up sensational victories away at Sporting and Braga in the space of five days. The Castores are packed with exciting up and coming talent, not least attacking midfielder Pizzi who looks set for a big future in the game.
Leiria have been hit hard by the loss of star striker Carlao and midfield creator Silas in the winter transfer window and look a shadow of the pre-Christmas team. A home win on the cards.
After a promising start to the season it’s all gone horribly wrong for Olhanense. As if just one win and six defeats in their last eight matches was not bad enough, the Algarve club have sold their two best defenders Vinicius and Jardel in the January transfer window, and if rumors are to be believed more players will be leaving.
Academica themselves have fallen away alarmingly after a good start to their campaign but have looked more solid in 2011 under new coach Jose Guilherme. Given Olhanense’s state of turmoil the Coimbra club will be confident of earning at least a point.
Three straight defeats in all competitions has set the alarm bells ringing at Rio Ave. With one of both of the bottom two guaranteed to pick up points, Carlos Brito knows that another loss and his side will be right in the thick of a relegation battle.
Vitoria Guimaraes have far more pleasing things to worry about. Still involved in all three domestic competitions and sitting pretty in 3rd place in the standings, Manuel Machado will seek to consolidate his club’s drive towards securing a European berth next season.
Braga continue to be maddeningly inconsistent and coach Domingos Paciencia knows it is vital his team start stringing together a run of positive results in the league if the Arsenalistas are not to miss out on Europe for the first time in over half a decade.
Throughout Braga’s ups and downs striker Lima has shone brightly, and four goals in his last four games exemplifies just what a threat he is. Vitoria have only won one of the their last seven league matches and another defeat at the AXA Stadium will have coach Manuel Fernandes looking nervously down the gun of a relegation battle.
These two teams met on Wednesday, only at the Porto’s Estadio do Dragao, with the Blue and Whites running out comfortable 3-0 victors. Both sides fielded weakened teams on that occasion, and given Beira-Mar’s excellent home record since returning to the top flight – just one defeat in seven matches – it is likely to be a far more close-run thing this time round.
Striker Falcao is an injury doubt for Porto. Should the Colombian goal machine fail a late fitness test, Brazilian Walter, who scored a goal, provided an assist and put in a fine display on Wednesday, will step in.
Beira-Mar coach Leonardo Jardim has promised “a different games at all levels” on Saturday, starting with the recall of a number of his rested first-teamers.
Naval and Portimonense currently occupy the relegation spots and can consider this match pretty much their last-chance saloon to survive in the top flight. Both teams changed coaches during the winter break. Carlos Mozer has brought about an immediate improvement in performances and results at Figueira da Foz.
The same cannot be said of his opposite number at Portimonense, Carlos Azenha, whose two defeats so far means he is still looking for his first victory in his brief career as a head coach after a total of six matches in charge at Vitoria Setubal and the Algarve outfit.
Benfica are staunchly refusing to buckle in their chase of FC Porto at the top of the table. The Eagles have won 11 of their last 12 matches in the league and are currently on a 7-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
The superb form of Jorge Jesus’ side can be largely explained by the consistent brilliance of Javier Saviola and Eduardo Salvio over the past two months and Nacional will have their hands full stopping the Argentine duo who have scored twelve goals between them in Benfica’s last seven matches.
Not that Nacional will be overawed. The high-flying team from Madeira are unbeaten themselves in six games and remain the only team to beat FC Porto this season. An interesting clash in the offing.
The incidents of the past week serve as a good illustration of Sporting’s topsy-turvy season. A hugely disappointing defeat at home and the subsequent resignation of club President Jose Eduardo Bettencourt plunged the Lisbon outfit into crisis. However, the team bounced back in fine style to hammer Penafiel 4-0 in the Bwin Cup on Thursday and reignite hopes among their fans that there may yet be a silver lining in what has been a largely traumatic season.
The Lions face a tough test of their character in the Monday fixture. The Barreiros Stadium in Madeira is always a difficult venue for the visiting side, and runaway leaders FC Porto are the only team to have beaten Maritimo in the islanders’ last ten league matches.
With Vitoria Guimaraes and Nacional breathing down their necks in the table, more dropped points by Sporting will put their 3rd-place position in jeopardy.
Leaders Porto also face tricky opposition. The leaders travel to Aveiro where hosts Beira-Mar have only lost one game all season. With Sporting travelling to the always difficult Maritimo, it will be interesting to see whether any of the traditional big three drop points.
At the other end of the table it is a veritable six-pointer as the bottom two Naval and Portimonense fight out a relegation tussle. The losers can surely as good as give up hope of survival in the top flight.
Paços have had a week to remember, clocking up sensational victories away at Sporting and Braga in the space of five days. The Castores are packed with exciting up and coming talent, not least attacking midfielder Pizzi who looks set for a big future in the game.
Leiria have been hit hard by the loss of star striker Carlao and midfield creator Silas in the winter transfer window and look a shadow of the pre-Christmas team. A home win on the cards.
After a promising start to the season it’s all gone horribly wrong for Olhanense. As if just one win and six defeats in their last eight matches was not bad enough, the Algarve club have sold their two best defenders Vinicius and Jardel in the January transfer window, and if rumors are to be believed more players will be leaving.
Academica themselves have fallen away alarmingly after a good start to their campaign but have looked more solid in 2011 under new coach Jose Guilherme. Given Olhanense’s state of turmoil the Coimbra club will be confident of earning at least a point.
Three straight defeats in all competitions has set the alarm bells ringing at Rio Ave. With one of both of the bottom two guaranteed to pick up points, Carlos Brito knows that another loss and his side will be right in the thick of a relegation battle.
Vitoria Guimaraes have far more pleasing things to worry about. Still involved in all three domestic competitions and sitting pretty in 3rd place in the standings, Manuel Machado will seek to consolidate his club’s drive towards securing a European berth next season.
Braga continue to be maddeningly inconsistent and coach Domingos Paciencia knows it is vital his team start stringing together a run of positive results in the league if the Arsenalistas are not to miss out on Europe for the first time in over half a decade.
Throughout Braga’s ups and downs striker Lima has shone brightly, and four goals in his last four games exemplifies just what a threat he is. Vitoria have only won one of the their last seven league matches and another defeat at the AXA Stadium will have coach Manuel Fernandes looking nervously down the gun of a relegation battle.
These two teams met on Wednesday, only at the Porto’s Estadio do Dragao, with the Blue and Whites running out comfortable 3-0 victors. Both sides fielded weakened teams on that occasion, and given Beira-Mar’s excellent home record since returning to the top flight – just one defeat in seven matches – it is likely to be a far more close-run thing this time round.
Striker Falcao is an injury doubt for Porto. Should the Colombian goal machine fail a late fitness test, Brazilian Walter, who scored a goal, provided an assist and put in a fine display on Wednesday, will step in.
Beira-Mar coach Leonardo Jardim has promised “a different games at all levels” on Saturday, starting with the recall of a number of his rested first-teamers.
Naval and Portimonense currently occupy the relegation spots and can consider this match pretty much their last-chance saloon to survive in the top flight. Both teams changed coaches during the winter break. Carlos Mozer has brought about an immediate improvement in performances and results at Figueira da Foz.
The same cannot be said of his opposite number at Portimonense, Carlos Azenha, whose two defeats so far means he is still looking for his first victory in his brief career as a head coach after a total of six matches in charge at Vitoria Setubal and the Algarve outfit.
Benfica are staunchly refusing to buckle in their chase of FC Porto at the top of the table. The Eagles have won 11 of their last 12 matches in the league and are currently on a 7-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
The superb form of Jorge Jesus’ side can be largely explained by the consistent brilliance of Javier Saviola and Eduardo Salvio over the past two months and Nacional will have their hands full stopping the Argentine duo who have scored twelve goals between them in Benfica’s last seven matches.
Not that Nacional will be overawed. The high-flying team from Madeira are unbeaten themselves in six games and remain the only team to beat FC Porto this season. An interesting clash in the offing.
The incidents of the past week serve as a good illustration of Sporting’s topsy-turvy season. A hugely disappointing defeat at home and the subsequent resignation of club President Jose Eduardo Bettencourt plunged the Lisbon outfit into crisis. However, the team bounced back in fine style to hammer Penafiel 4-0 in the Bwin Cup on Thursday and reignite hopes among their fans that there may yet be a silver lining in what has been a largely traumatic season.
The Lions face a tough test of their character in the Monday fixture. The Barreiros Stadium in Madeira is always a difficult venue for the visiting side, and runaway leaders FC Porto are the only team to have beaten Maritimo in the islanders’ last ten league matches.
With Vitoria Guimaraes and Nacional breathing down their necks in the table, more dropped points by Sporting will put their 3rd-place position in jeopardy.
