Benfica v. Sporting Derby Preview

By: Greg | September 27th, 2008

2008/09 Portuguese Liga Sagres Jornada 4
Benfica v. Sporting
September 27, 2008 @ 20:45 Local time
Estadio da Luz, Lisbon

Preview
Both teams come into this game going in somewhat different directions. Sporting are second in the table only on goal differential and looking to finish what they started last year by becoming league champions. Benfica are off a terrible year where they finished out of Champions League qualification and had a huge summer overhaul led by new Football Director and Portugal legend Rui Costa.

Benfica squared off against Porto at home a few weeks ago and played a hard fought match in which they earned a well deserved point. Sporting have played consistent, solid football so far this season with their only hiccup being a 3-1 shellacking at the hands of Barcelona in Spain for the opening match of Champions League group play. Benfica are currently seventh in the table with five points from three games while Sporting are second having won all nine points available to them thus far.

Possible Sporting Starting XI

Yannick Djaló – Hélder Postiga
João Moutinho – Romagnoli – Rochemback
Miguel Veloso
Grimi – Polga – Tonel – Abel
Rui Patrício

Liedson is back but I’m not sure he’s going to get a start here. It’ll be nice to have yet another attacking option up front and if the forwards can’t find the back of the net, Levezinho will probably see the pitch sometime around the hour mark. Caneira, Izmailov, and want-away Simon Vukcevic are all unavailable due to injury.

Key Player
João Moutinho, Midfielder — Benfica were able to frustrate Porto by essentially separating the forwards from the midfielders thus thwarting most of their attacks. Moutinho will have to make sure that Sporting are firing on all cylinders and act as an effective and creative go-between for the defense and the boys up front in order to avoid being stymied by a tough Benfica midfield.

Tactics
While Benfica are still a work in progress, Sporting have been playing together for like a bazillion years for the most part. They will need to take advantage of a team still looking to gel and find openings in the mistakes that Benfica provide them with. Yannick looked like crap against Barcelona but as the competition comes down, his game moves up (or at least gets better relatively speaking). I think he and Postiga are primed for a goal a piece.

With Izmailov unavailable due to injury, a lineup that may include both Rochemback and Veloso will be somewhat defensive. These two will need to interchangeably go forward and support the attack so that they don’t get snuffed out in numbers.

Prediction
Four wins in a row? Why not…Sporting 2 – 1 Benfica

Viva O Sporting!!!