After a brief hiatus for international fixtures, the moment that Portuguese football fans have been awaiting has finally arrived. Round four of the 2015/2016 Primeira Liga kicks off later this Friday, with reigning champions Benfica welcoming Belenenses to the Estadio da Luz as they hope to maintain their 100 per cent unbeaten record on home soil.
Benfica
Last campaign's Primeira Liga champions began the season in fine form by demolishing Estoril 4-0 in their season opener. However, the team, who saw long-serving coach Jorge Jesus depart for rivals Sporting earlier this summer, were given a shock as they were defeated 1-0 in their first game on the road against minnows Arouca. The Eagles were not given an easy time versus Moreirense in their last match prior to the international break, with the match looking like it would result in a 2-2 draw until Jonas popped up with the game winner in the 86th minute, so they will be keen on calming some nervous supporters' nerves with a solid performance against Belenenses this Friday evening.
Fortunately, for the hosts, they enjoy a good record against their upcoming opponents. Tonight's meeting will be the 35th between the two sides since the 1994/1995 season, including friendlies. Overall, it's Benfica with the better numbers, with 21 wins versus seven for Belenenses, whose last win over Benfica was a 1-0 result during the 2007/2008 season.
Belenenses
Meanwhile, the visitors, who finished in a respectable sixth place last season, have yet to win a single match this season. One of the oldest clubs in the country, having being founded in 1919, Belenenses made history during the 1945/1946 domestic season by becoming the first team other than the "Big Three" to clinch the league title. Even more impressive is that they are in highly esteemed company, being that they are only one of two teams (the other being Boavista) to have ever to been crowned champions of Portugal.
As a result of their good performances last term, they are back in European competition for the first time since participating in the UEFA Cup back during the 2007/2008 campaign. However, as noted previously, they have struggled to find a breakthrough so far, with three frustrating draws against Rio Ave, Vitoria, and Maritimo. In fact, Ricardo Sa Pinto's side have only won one out of their last six games across all competitions and will likely have a tough evening in taking on Portugal's most decorated side on the road.
In their last 15 meetings, Belenenses have only tasted victory once - during the aforementioned 1-0 win in the 2007/2008 season, on December 15, 2007. The other 14 have been evenly split between draws and losses, but their last stalemate was on September 28, 2013, when they were able to hold Benfica to a 1-1 draw. During the 2014/2015 campaign, Belenenses experienced utter disappointment, losing both home and away fixtures by an aggregate score of 5-0.
Of note is also their tendency not to keep a cool head. In their last ten games versus Benfica, Belenenses have had a man sent off on four occasions, and given their poor record against the 34-time Primeira Liga winners, Ricardo Sa Pinto will surely hope that he can finish this game with all eleven men on the pitch.
Are you a Primeira Liga fan? Then make sure you don't miss out on this match-up between the record league winners Benfica and an ambitious Belenenses side hoping to make their mark in the Europa League.
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Match details, result and original broadcast info
Benfica 6 - 0 Belenenses
September 11, 2015 3:30pmEstádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica (da Luz) (Lisboa)This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
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