The long off-season is quickly coming to an end, and the Portuguese Primeira Liga will get underway on Friday. Last year's third place finishers Porto will open the new campaign at home, against Maritimo.
When both these sides met last season, the home side won both. With two new managers in charge, fans will be interested to see how things pan out for the upcoming campaign. Neither will want to start the year with a defeat, but after a below average finish for Porto in 2013-14, they will be under pressure to get three points at home.
Second place finishers Sporting CP will get things started away from home, when they travel to Coimbra to take on Académica. A 0-4 defeat for the Estudantes against Leonardo Jardim's Sporting side last season will be fresh on their mind Saturday.
Fortunately for Paulo Sergio's side, Jardim is no longer in charge of the Leões. New manager Marco Silva will send out his troops in the first league match, and coming off a promising pre-season, the former Estoril manager will be hoping to build on the great campaign he had last season with the Canarinhos.
Another interesting matchup will be further north, with Braga playing host to Boavista.
After a prolonged absence from the top tier of football in Portugal, the Axadrezados are back in the Primeira Liga and they are looking to make up for lost time. Former Benfica and Portugal midfielder Armando Gonçalves Teixeira, also known as Petit, will be aiming to come away with the club's first Primeira Liga victory since 2008.
In their way will be a Braga side that dissapointed last season. A 9th placed finish left fans and the club's president unhappy, forcing them out of any European competitions. Prior to last season, the Arsenalistas had finished second, third, and fourth on two occasions, so it is understandable why the fans were far from contente.
Will Boavista be able to find their footing at the Estádio Axa in their return to the Primeira Liga?
Defending champions Benfica will only take the pitch on Sunday, at the Estáio da Luz when they take on Paços de Ferreira. Both club's finished at opposite ends of the league standings last year, and Paços was even forced into a relegation play-off against Olhanense, which they won 4-2 on aggregate.
With Paulo Fonseca back at the club after being dismissed half-way through the season last year, he will be wanting to prove his worth once again. Getting the best of a Benfica squad with a number of new faces could be possible, but the Encarnados are full of confidence after winning their fourth title in the last year.
Jorge Jesus' side defeated Rio Ave for a third time, earning them a fourth domestic title on Sunday in the Portuguese Supertaça. They now play their first competitive match at home, and they will want to erase some of their poor performances during the pre-season.
Visit our Primeira Liga page for updated channel information, and/or live listings if you are outside Canada, USA, and the UK.
Matchday 1: LIVE fixtures schedule & broadcast channel listings
Friday, August 15, 2014
15:00 EST / 20:00 BST - Porto vs Maritimo
- In the USA: Sport TV Americas, Radio Antena 1, RTP Internacional
- In Canada: Sport TV Americas, Radio Antena 1, RTP Internacional
- In the UK: ESPN UK / HD, Radio Antena 1
- In Portugal: Sport TV1, Radio Antena 1
Saturday, August 16, 2014
13:00 EST / 18:00 BST - Gil Vicente vs Vitória de Guimarães
- In the USA: Sport TV Americas
- In Canada: Sport TV Americas
- In the UK: Not Available
- In Portugal: Sport TV1, Radio Antena 1
15:30 EST / 20:30 BST - Académica vs Sporting CP
- In the USA: Sport TV Americas, Radio Antena 1
- In Canada: Sport TV Americas, Radio Antena 1
- In the UK: ESPN UK / HD, Radio Antena 1
- In Portugal: Sport TV1, Radio Antena 1
Sunday, August 17, 2014
11:00 EST / 16:00 BST - Nacional vs Moreirense
- In the USA: Not Available
- In Canada: Not Available
- In the UK: Not Available
- In Portugal: Not Available
11:00 EST / 16:00 BST - Rio Ave vs Vitória de Setúbal
- In the USA: Not Available
- In Canada: Not Available
- In the UK: Not Available
- In Portugal: Not Available
12:00 EST / 17:00 BST - Penafiel vs Belenenses
- In the USA: Sport TV Americas
- In Canada: Sport TV Americas
- In the UK: Not Available
- In Portugal: Sport TV1
14:00 EST / 19:00 BST - Braga SC vs Boavista
- In the USA: Sport TV Americas
- In Canada: Sport TV Americas
- In the UK: Not Available
- In Portugal: Sport TV1
14:15 EST / 19:15 BST - Benfica vs Paços de Ferreira
- In the USA: Premium Sports, Benfica TV Ao Vivo, Radio Antena 1
- In Canada: Radio Antena 1, Benfica TV Ao Vivo
- In the UK: Radio Antena 1, Benfica TV Ao Vivo
- In Portugal: Benfica TV 1, Radio Antena 1
Monday, August 18, 2014
15:00 EST / 20:00 BST - Arouca vs Estoril
- In the USA: Sport TV Americas
- In Canada: Sport TV Americas
- In the UK: Not Available
- In Portugal: Sport TV1
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