Last weekend, the Primiera Liga title race was finally put to bed as Benfica cruised to a 4-1 win over Maritimo. Not only did the win earn Jorge Jesus's squad the club's 34th league title, but also marks the first since since 1984 that thye were able to successfully defend their crown. And now, they have the opportunity to make history yet again whilst clinching a domestic double as they face off against the very same Maritimo side in this season's Taça da Liga final set to take place in a few days.
Benfica, who have won thie trophy five times, including last season, are on the cusp of making it six - which is by far the most successful out of any team in Portugal. Meanwhile, Maritimo, despite suffering a heavy defeat in their final league game ended up finising ninth, meaning that the team from Madeira will have another change at competiting in the top flight next season.
A win over the Águias would not only be the perfect revenge for their 4-1 drubbing, but would be the first ever Taça da Liga win for the Verde-Rubros. As they meet up again less than a week after Benfiquistas saw their team celebrate being champions of Portugal, what can we expect from the "re-match" at the Estádio Cidade de Coimbra?
Maritimo's defenders are in for a long night
Unfortunately for Maritimo, they already got a preview of this three days ago on Saturday, May 23rd whilst taking on Benfica on the road. It took just six minutes for Brazilian striker Lima to breach their back-line, and despite attempting to respond thanks to Moussa Marega's equaliser, fellow Brazilian attacker Jonas put the champions 2-1 up before half-time.
The same South American duo would come back to seal the title win with another goal a piece during the second half. And with 39 league goals between them - 20 for Jonas and 19 for his partner in crime Lima - expect both to cause some serious headaches for the guys at the back this Friday. All in all, Benfica plundered 86 goals (over two per game) making them the most prolific side in the Primeira Liga this season. Meanwhile, Maritimo scored nearly as many as they conceded, with 46 earned and 45 given up.
Lima and Jonas have scored nearly 50 goals combined in all competitions for Benfica this season
Tough task ahead for Maritimo's attack
If their defenders will be definitely earning their pay-checks as they battle to contain Benfica's potent attack, Maritimo's attackers will somehow have to figure how to breach their opponent's air-tight defense. This, of course, will be a lot easier said than done. Throughout the course of the 2014/2015 Primeira Liga term, Jorge Jesus's men only allowed 16 goals in. Only Porto, who conceded 13, can boast to have an ever better defensive unit.
Maritimo's attackers will have to hope that Benfica have an off-day as they seek an unlikely upset
Still, this is football and Benfica will be still flying high after their title win this past weekend. As such, Maritimo will hope to bring them crashing back down to Earth and given an unpleasant taste of reality by shocking them in the final this Friday.
Despite their easy win, Benfica could be in for a surprise this time around...
Over the course of the Taça da Liga, Benfica, who entered at the third round scored seven in their group phase whilst conceding none and winning all three. Maritimo, who also made it to the next phase, did not cruise as comfortably but they still got the job done. They netted four, conceded two, and breathed a sigh of relief as their seven points were just one ahead of the second-placed side to book their spot in the knock-out rounds.
And this is where Maritimo shocked Portuguese football fans, who were anticipating a "O Classico" final between Porto and Benfica. However, the Leões do Almirante Reis had other plans, holding off the Dragões to set up their debut final appearance.
Maritimo surprised fans by defeating heavy favourites Porto en route to securing their first ever final appearance
Ivo Vieira's men navigated through the Taça da Liga without losing a single game and what better way to get some revenge after losing 4-1 on the final match-day by spoiling Benfica's chance for a sixth double?
Goals galore? Think again...there could be a penalty shoot-out instead
Despite seeing five goals scored in this same game recently, one may not be in for the same treat in the Taça da Liga final. This tournament, which is one of the newest on the European stage, has been contested seven times prior, with Benfica winning five of them and Braga and Vitoria de Setubal lifting the trophy on the two other occasions.
Two of these finals ended as spot-kick shootouts after neither side was able to find a game-winning goal in regulation and extra time. The others have seen no more than three goals scored between both sides, and the last time that any team scored more than one or two was back during the 2010 final, when Benfica thrashed Porto 3-0 in the first and only O Classico edition to date.
Plenty of pressure to go around
Simply put, Benfica have a chance to move into unprecedented territory by not just clinching their sixth title but also to add another entry into their history books by making it another double. Jorge Jesus's side have really enjoyed playing against Maritimo recently, scoring ten goals and just conceding one in their last three meetings. This season alone, they scored eight. Nonetheless, despite being the heavy favourites, the last thing they would want is to suffer a defeat in their final match of this season.
Meanwhile, Maritimo, whose last win over Benfica was a 2-1 victory on August 18, 2013, are seeking what would be their first ever major trohpy. Although, unlike other European domestic cups a win in the Taça da Liga does not give the victor automatic entry in the Europa League, it is still a nice piece of silverware to add to one's cabinet and should they win, they would join two other teams as the only ones to prevent perpetual winners Benfica from enjoying yet another successful tournament.
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