Derby can paint the season red and white

This Sunday, at 4:00 pm, something unprecedented in 2021/22 will happen: the Benfica women's football team will play at Estádio da Luz! The derby against Sporting, from matchday 12 of the Liga BPI championship round, can give the national title to the eagles, and the tickets are already available, with Members getting free entry.

This will be the third occasion that the women's soccer team has played at the Cathedral. The first occurred on September 1, 2018, against Deportivo de la Coruña, in the presentation match; the second time was on October 19, 2019, in a derby against Sporting, on matchday 4 of the 2019/20 edition of the Liga BPI.

Benfica has had a practically unblemished season in the National Championship, adding up the numbers from the South Series and the championship round, with 18 matches played and 17 wins. The only defeat occurred in the 1st phase. In these 18 matches, the reds scored 61 goals (average of 3.39 per game) and conceded 12 (0.67 per game).

At a time when there are only nine points to play for, Benfica comes into this second-to-last matchday with a six-point lead over Sporting. Having won at Alcochete, the rival's home ground, the Reds will automatically become champions if they win or draw in Sunday's derby.

Officially, Sunday's derby will be the 11th (third this season) between the two teams in women's football.  Looking at the previous 10 official matches, balance is the keynote. The lionesses have won five matches, the eagles have won four. Only once was there a draw, in the League Cup. Both teams have an appetite for goals, but in derbies the average does not reach two per match. Sporting has scored on 17 occasions, while Benfica has scored 14 goals.

The decision of the Liga BPI can pass through this derby, but, to get here, the Glorioso had a long and hard season to go through. They started the Championship in the South Series, with a seven matchday schedule, won six matches (three at home and three away) and scored on 32 occasions, and the most emphatic result of this phase was against Atlético, away from home, by 0-13.

In the ongoing championship round, Benfica has 11 wins (five at home and six away) in 11 matches, and had in 1-6 against Marítimo, in the last round, the most emphatic result in the championship round. Individually, Cloé Lacasse is standout performer in the eagles, with five goals and five assists (direct participation in 10 of the team's goals). Ana Vitória is the player with more minutes played: 855.

IN THE REVERSE FIXTURE IT WAS LIKE THIS...