Sunday's match will bring together one of the league's best, and one of the league's worst, in accordance to stats. Benfica is even on 52 points with Porto, while Beira-Mar has 15 points, the same amount last placed Moreirense has. Getting at least one point on Sunday against Benfica could really go a long way for the Aveirenses.
Benfica will enter the match coming off a defeat against Braga in the semi-final of the Taca da Liga. Jorge Jesus had made it clear that the Taca da Liga was the least of his priorities this season, but regardless of that, Benfica was poor at the Estadio Axa on Wednesday night.
Bouncing back from that defeat against Beira-Mar could be slightly more difficult than expected, but Jorge Jesus will be sure to put out his best squad in this match.
Beira-Mar has only managed to win one match at home, while drawing five and losing three. Against Benfica at home, Beira-Mar's latest fortunes have not been all that great. The last time Beira-Mar managed to defeat Benfica in Aveiro was during the 1992/93 campaign.
The visitors have won seven of their last 10 visits to Aveiro, so things will not be easy for Costinha's side on Sunday.
"We know that a draw against a big team is not a bad result, but normally the team that takes the pitch looking for a draw, generally loses," Costinha stated in his press conference.
"We are going to play in our normal style, with a few changes due to Benfica's offensive power. But, we are going to play with a positive attitude."
The Aveirenses have not managed to win a match at home since they defeated Rio Ave 3-1 in December. Since then, they have lost twice and drawn one. Their latest home match ended in a 0-2 victory for Porto.
Although Beira-Mar is in a relegation battle, Jorge Jesus is well aware that every match has its own story, so anything is possible on Sunday.
"Benfica has a responsibility of winning every remaining match, regardless of our objective of winning the league title," said Jorge Jesus.
"Beira-Mar needs points to get out of the relegation zone, and we need to continue to win so that we can stay at the top of the league. We will face a determined opponent, considering Benfica tends to boost the levels of interest for their opponents. We are confident."
Pedro Moreira will miss the match for Beira-Mar due to a suspension, with leading scorer Javier Balboa also missing out due to injury. Nuno Lopes and Tonel are also out of Costinha's options for Sunday due to injury.
Jorge Jesus could potentially be without Carlos Martins and Pablo Aimar who both picked up slight knocks in the match against Braga during the week.
Previous Meetings
10-06-12 Benfica 2-1 Beira-Mar
03-16-12 Benfica 3-1 Beira-Mar
10-22-11 Beira-Mar 0-1 Benfica
04-17-11 Benfica 2-1 Beira-Mar
11-28-10 Beira-Mar 1-3 Benfica
04-09-07 Beira-Mar 2-2 Benfica
Prediction
Judging by Beira-Mar's record, you would imagine that Benfica should win this match with ease. Well, that is not always the case in matches of this sort.
The hosts have 10 matches, including Sunday's, to earn as many points as they can to get themselves out of the relegation zone. A good start to making their way back would be to grab at least one point on Sunday at home against Benfica.
Having lost five of their last six home and away against Benfica, the hosts will know that they will need to be better on Sunday. The fact that they have been unable to defeat Benfica at home in nearly 10 years will at least give them added motivation to go out and leave it all on the line.
Beira-Mar is by far the underdog for this match, so that should allow them to play with more freedom. With former Benfica player Javier Balboa missing due to injury, Costinha's squad will need to find other ways to score past Artur Moraes who has been in incredible form this season.
The Brazilian keeper pulled off a number of incredible saves against Braga mid-week, and he did the same just over a week ago against Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League.
Not only will Beira-Mar need to take advantage of any opportunity Benfica gives them, but they will need to be on high alert on the defensive side of the ball. Oscar Cardozo got the match off against Braga, so he will be full of energy for Sunday's match
Beira-Mar 0-2 Benfica
