We have come down to the final week of action in the Liga Portugal, with two of the most popular teams going toe-to-toe in what will be an electric end to the 2022-23 season.
As things stand, Benfica are in pole position to win their first title after a three-year wait, but rivals Porto are still in the race to win the crown as they are still in range to leapfrog the Eagles. The team led by Roger Schmidt has dominated the Portuguese top-flight for 30 out of the 33 weeks, which would make it quite embarrassing if they were not able to hold on to the top spot in the final week of action.
As for Porto, the other team that managed to lead the league in the first three weeks of the competition, their title hopes have been cemented by an ongoing streak without a loss, and while only one result would give them the title, their chances of success could not be better considering that they were far behind in the title race at some point of the competition.
Before we go deeper into each game, let us have a look at how things stand prior to Week 34 in the Portuguese top-flight.
| Pos. | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sporting CP | 30 | 26 | 2 | 2 | 87 | 27 | +60 | 80 | WWWWW | |
| 2 | Benfica | 30 | 23 | 4 | 3 | 68 | 24 | +44 | 73 | WWLWW | |
| 3 | Porto | 30 | 19 | 5 | 6 | 55 | 24 | +31 | 62 | WDLLW | |
| 4 | Sporting Braga | 30 | 19 | 5 | 6 | 63 | 41 | +22 | 62 | WWLWW | |
| 5 | Vitória Guimarães | 30 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 45 | 32 | +13 | 57 | LDWWW | |
| 6 | Arouca | 31 | 13 | 6 | 12 | 53 | 42 | +11 | 45 | DDWWW | |
| 7 | Moreirense | 30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 30 | 34 | -4 | 43 | LLDLW | |
| 8 | Famalicão | 30 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 33 | 38 | -5 | 36 | DLDWW | |
| 9 | Gil Vicente | 31 | 8 | 8 | 15 | 39 | 50 | -11 | 32 | DWLLL | |
| 10 | Casa Pia | 30 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 30 | 43 | -13 | 32 | LDDWL | |
| 11 | Farense | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 39 | 44 | -5 | 31 | LDWLD | |
| 12 | Rio Ave | 30 | 5 | 16 | 9 | 32 | 38 | -6 | 31 | DDWDD | |
| 13 | Boavista | 30 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 35 | 56 | -21 | 30 | DLLDL | |
| 14 | Estoril | 30 | 8 | 6 | 16 | 45 | 52 | -7 | 30 | DLDWW | |
| 15 | Estrela | 30 | 6 | 11 | 13 | 32 | 46 | -14 | 29 | DDDLD | |
| 16 | Portimonense | 30 | 7 | 7 | 16 | 34 | 64 | -30 | 28 | DDWLL | |
| 17 | Chaves | 30 | 5 | 8 | 17 | 30 | 62 | -32 | 23 | DWLLL | |
| 18 | Vizela | 30 | 4 | 9 | 17 | 29 | 62 | -33 | 21 | LLLLL |
Now, let us walk you through the key points that could decide the title in favor of the red and white team or for the Dragons.
Benfica vs Santa Clara
The team coached by Roger Schmidt dropped points last week to give Porto hopes to win the title, and while they are two points ahead of their rivals, they must be wary of Santa Clara, their opponents on Saturday evening.
The away team will enter this match as a major underdog, having sealed their relegation to the Liga Portugal 2 despite last week's win. Now, the Azoreans will want to leave the Portuguese top-flight on a high note with a result that could have serious consequences for the Eagles.
History tells us that Benfica have won eight out of their last ten matches against Santa Clara, but the away team's only win against Benfica came at Estadio Da Luz in 2020. With that in mind, it is not far-fetched to think that Santa Clara could shock the foundations of Portuguese football if they can come up with a win here.
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Porto vs Vitoria Guimaraes
The Dragons seemed destined to finish second with no questions to be asked, but a surge in their performance has seen them climb up the standings while keeping their title hopes alive. Now, Sergio Conceicao's men have a legitimate shot at winning a second straight Liga Portugal title if things in their match and on Benfica's game go their way.
In order for Porto to claim the title, the Dragons must win their match against fifth-placed Vitoria Guimaraes with a wide margin, which could serve two purposes. The first one of those would be to match Benfica's goal difference in case of a draw by the Eagles, and the other one, to leapfrog Schmidt's men if they lose against Santa Clara. Those would be the ways for Porto to win the title, even if the first option seems a little complicated to see.
Porto have defeated Vitoria Guimaraes in their past eight games, including a one-nil win this season. While none of those wins have come with a wide margin, Vitoria have not been able to beat the Dragons for the past five years, which may be a good omen for Sergio Conceicao's men. Will this be an epic evening to witness at the Estadio Do Dragao? We will have to wait and see.
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