Liga Betclic: Benfica-Sporting X-ray

The penultimate matchday (33) of the Liga Betclic has a potentially decisive derby in store for the title race. Level at the top of the league table on 78 points, Benfica and Sporting face off at 6 pm this Saturday, May 10, at the Estádio da Luz.

And the math is simple: if they win by two goals, the eagles will be celebrating the 39th league title in advance by overturning the result of the reverse fixture in the head-to-head tiebreaker. If they win by the narrowest of margins, they need just 1 point in Braga in the final round to paint the country red.

The importance of the Lisbon derby for the 2024/25 edition of the Liga Betclic is therefore undeniable, and the Benfica fans are ready to respond to the challenge, with the Cathedral packed for another day of total communion between team and fans towards the season's big goal.

Benfica are on a 13-game unbeaten run. With 43 points scored in their fortress, the Eagles are the team in the competition with the best home record: 14 wins in 16 games and an impressive average of 3.18 goals per game. On the other side, the 18 teams in the league have the best away record: 11 wins, 4 draws and 1 defeat.

In 181 editions of Lisbon's big derby in the league, Benfica have 83 wins, with 309 goals scored and 207 conceded, a dominance that is accentuated in the matches played as hosts: 49 wins in 90 duels with 179 shots for and 117 against.

The two teams' equal points in the league table is accompanied by a great balance in the Liga Betclic numbers provided by the Sofascore platform.

The eagles and lions lead several of the game parameters scrutinized and show a tendency to dominate with the ball and aggressively press their opponents, illustrated by the percentages of more than 50% of both teams in possession and duels won per game.

After 32 matches, Benfica and Sporting have the best defenses in the competition, both with 26 goals conceded.

Compared to their next opponents, the Reds are superior in terms of clean sheets (15 against 14), tackles per game (18.3 against 15.8), interceptions (9.2 against 7.2) and balls recovered (53.6 against 50), with the Lions having a slight advantage in the percentage of duels won per game: 53.2% against 51.8%.

Individually, Otamendi stands out as the league leader in interceptions (55), with teammates Florentino (47) and Álvaro Carreras (40) ahead of the Leon players who stand out the most: Gonçalo Inácio and Diomande, both with 30.

Florentino also stands out as the Benfica player with the most tackles (75, 2nd in the competition), while Trincão (51) is the best in this area for the Green and Whites.

In terms of goals scored, Benfica (82) and Sporting (85) are the most prolific teams in this edition of the Liga Betclic.

Although the lions have more shots per game (18.7 against 17), it's the eagles who have the better aim, leading the competition in terms of shots on target (7 against 6.8).

Also noteworthy is the Red and Whites' advantage in the total number of big chances created over the course of this Championship: 135 against 125.

Pavlidis, who has scored 18 goals, is Benfica's top scorer, while Gyökeres, with 38 goals (44.7% of his team's total), has been Sporting's main attacking weapon.

With 17 clear chances created, Aktürkoğlu and Trincão excelled in supplying the attacks and were also notable for their assists: 10 for the Turkish international, 12 for the Portuguese international.