Liga Betclic: Estrela da Amadora-Benfica X-ray

Having secured their place in the Champions League play-off with a 0-2 win over Juventus, Benfica have now turned their attention to the Liga Betclic, where Estrela da Amadora are their next opponent.

The match of matchday 20 of the Championship takes place this Sunday, February 2, starting at 8:30 pm, at the Estádio José Gomes. The tricolor team, who finished second from bottom, have recorded two draws and two defeats in the previous four rounds, and their record against Benfica is largely in their favor.

In 41 official matches, the Eagles have won 33 (80%) and drawn six times (15%). This will be the 36th clash in the league and the trend continues: 28 wins for Benfica and five draws.

This season, there have already been two matches between the Reds and the Whites, both played at the Estádio da Luz. In the league, Kökcü scored the winning goal in the 3rd round to make it 1-0; in the 4th round of the Portuguese Cup, the eagles won 7-0.

As visitors, Benfica have won 12 of their 17 matches with Estrela da Amadora in the league (71%). There have been three draws and 25 goals for the Eagles (1.47 per game), more than double the number of goals scored by the Reboleira side (12; 0.71 per game).

In the current edition of the league, Bruno Lage's men have one of the most consistent defenses so far (14 goals conceded; 0.74 per game) and one of the most productive attacks (43 goals scored; average of 2.22 goals per game), in contrast to Estrela da Amadora, who head into this matchday with 16 goals scored (0.84 per game) and 30 conceded (1.58 per game).

The numbers help justify the difference in the standings between the two teams. Second-placed Benfica have much more possession than their rivals (59.6% compared to 44.9%), more shots per game (16.9 to 9.8), of which 6.5 are on target, compared to 2.7 for the tricolores, the worst team in the league in this parameter, according to data from the Sofascore platform.

In accurate long balls, Benfica are superior to their opponents, with 27.9 per game compared to 18.9 for Estrela da Amadora. The eagles are also the better team when it comes to accurate crosses (6.2 per game); the tricolores have 3.1, just better than Gil Vicente (2.8).

In aerial duels, Benfica lead the way (average of 57.5 against 48.3), and in ground duels the hosts have a slightly favorable rate - 51.6% to Benfica's 49.8%.

In individual terms, Di María (7 goals) and Aktürkoğlu (6) are the Eagles' top scorers, and the Turkish international is the Benfica player with the most assists (5) in the Liga Betclic.

Di María also stands out as the player with the highest average number of shots (2.9), and is also the leader in the number of big chances created by Benfica over the last 19 matches: 10.

At Estrela da Amadora, Rodrigo Pinho and Kikas, both with 4 goals to their name, are the players in the spotlight when it comes to shooting on target. Kikas is also the player with the most chances created (4). Alan Ruiz has made the most assists: two.

Also according to data from the Sofacore platform, captain Otamendi is the eagle with the most accurate passes in the competition (972). Florentino and Bah stand out in terms of cuts (49 each). On the other side, Nilton Varela has 33.