Benfica v FC Porto – Preview, Prediction, TV Listings, and Betting Odds – Portuguese Liga – 3 April 2011
The top two teams in the Portuguese Liga meet as 2nd place Benfica hosts 1st place FC Porto. The match will take place at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal on Sunday, April 3, 2011. Kickoff is scheduled for 20:30 BST (UK time), 21:30 CET (Central Europe), and 15:30 EST (USA Eastern).
Benfica v FC Porto TV Listings
It will be televised on Sport TV1 (Portugal), SportKlub+ (SE Europe), Orange Sport (Poland), and on ESPN3 (USA).
Benfica v FC Porto Preview
Benfica manager Jorge Jesus
“It’s a championship game, but has the characteristics of a Benfica-FC Porto. These games have a history, emotions, competitiveness and rivalry, and what we feel is the responsibility of winning the game. If we can provide a good show better.”
“We’re focused on winning the game, regardless of whether they can pass on moves ahead,” he said.
“We want to introduce our quality of play, particularly in the latter third of the league. If we do, we are closer to victory and also to do more goals.”
“Of course we are thinking about Europe league, but we have many days to recover the players,” first considered.
“We have some physical problems with some players who came from the selections, like Cardozo, Carlos Martins and even Maxi [Pereira ]. They are players who came in with physical problems, but those who are physically well will be released tomorrow. ”
“If you do not have any clinical condition that might pose a danger to the game Thursday, will be launched at the meeting. If you are in danger, will not launch the game. ”
“Bruno is a player we believe in and, therefore, is that signed him. It is a kid of 22 who already knew very well, “began by noting, adding that” the players are always hoping to assert themselves at Benfica, but also in European football. ”
Porto manager Andre Villas Boas
«Only a short while before the match will we have an idea of how we will be feeling, whether we’ll be more or less anxious, yet assured that it won’t affect our athletic performance.»
«The working week was somewhat restricted by the late return of the international players and today we finally got to do a normal workout with all players available. Tomorrow we’ll do the last strategic adjustments for the game.»
«Being crowned champions at Luz isn’t an obsession. Should it not happen there, then we wish for it to happen as quickly as possible, as that has always been FC Porto’s main goal of the season.»
«The fans’ current thoughts are legitimate ones because being able to celebrate the victory at the rival’s home ground would have a special essence to it. Should it happen, it wouldn’t be the first time, seeing that it happened in the days of coach Siska. The players also feel this, but for them it can’t turn into an obsession.»
«It’s pointless assigning the title to these players when it hasn’t been conquered yet. There is no secure title yet, and mathematically Benfica is still in the race.»
«Benfica have always fed the hope of being crowned champion once more and the messages, sent out throughout the season and over the pre-season have all been clear.»
«No type of prediction can be made concerning a possible title win at Luz, because there’s yet a 90-minute game before us that will be rather emotional, intense, played between two major organizations, two teams that are having absolutely fantastic seasons and both progressing in the UEFA Europa League.»
«Benfica’s coach made the statement he did after the Portimonense match, but he surely won’t afford to rest his best players. I’m not one to dictate his options, but it seems unlikely.»
«The classics have always been scorching and the rivalry is culturally understood. Nothing’s new, all remains from one year to the next.»
«I expect the kind of Benfica that battle it out in all competitions, which, apart from the Champions League and the Super Cup, have remained alive on all fronts, eager, just as we are, of attaining the Europa League title. I expect a high-class Benfica, difficult to beat and with the aspiration of winning two national League titles in a row.»
«Labelling FC Porto as a counter-attack team is somewhat absurd, since FC Porto have the best attack and defence, continuously dominating ball possession, which is something that has special meaning for this coaching staff. This reflects our identity, our culture of ownership and the emphasis we place on supportive, swift and well-played football.»
«We won’t expect anything surplus from the players, nothing other than what was asked for in other games. It is obvious that the emotional factor will elevate them to motivational and intense levels. I think it’s crucial to start off well and put on a good show.»
«This brings us to the question of the legality of supporter groups, an issue I don’t dominate. At least, we’re pleased that our groups are legal. It’s perhaps the second worst anti-football decision that Benfica have taken, since the first was recommending their supporters to not attend away games. This yet another anti-football measure and therefore, unsurprising.»
«Hulk and Sapunaru are two greatly talented players with immense emotional control. What might or might not have happened has passed and the players are aware of what they have to do on the field and that’s what makes the difference.»
«If I’m not mistaken, this will be Duarte Gomes’ first classic. I hope it runs smoothly. That’s all I can wish for him. May all decisions made be the right ones.»
«Today we trained beyond the customary level. All were very competitive and available, that goes for both Rúben, who had a good time with the national side, and all the others, thus increasing the difficulty of the choices to be made by the coach.»
«[FC Porto’s distinction as the world’s best team in March by IFFHS] It means that what we did in March was good, and perhaps what we did in March has been reflected in the current classification table. Benfica were considered the best team in February and FC Porto, which had already been distinguished in December, maintained the performance in January, February and March.»
Head To Head Records
| Club | P | W | D | L | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portuguese League | |||||||
| FC Porto | 153 | 59 | 41 | 53 | |||
| SL Benfica | 153 | 53 | 41 | 59 | |||
| Portuguese Cup | |||||||
| FC Porto | 39 | 11 | 5 | 23 | |||
| SL Benfica | 39 | 23 | 5 | 11 | |||
| Portuguese League Cup | |||||||
| FC Porto | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| SL Benfica | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Portuguese Supercup | |||||||
| FC Porto | 25 | 13 | 7 | 5 | |||
| SL Benfica | 25 | 5 | 7 | 13 | |||
| Totals | |||||||
| FC Porto | 218 | 83 | 53 | 82 | |||
| SL Benfica | 218 | 82 | 53 | 83 | |||
Team Stat Comparison
| Benfica | FC Porto | |
|---|---|---|
| Matches Played | 24 | 24 |
| Table Position | 2 | 1 |
| Points | 55 | 68 |
| Goal Difference | 30 | 48 |
| Goals for * | 2.5 | 1.7 |
| Goals against * | 0.7 | 0.2 |
| Last 5 | W-D-L-W-W | W-W-W-W-W |
| Last 5 home | D-W-W-W-W | W-W-W-W-W |
| Last 5 away | W-L-W-W-W | W-W-W-W-W |
| * Goals per match – home matches for home club and away matches for away club | ||
Competition Stats
| Benfica | FC Porto | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | Óscar Cardozo 9 | Hulk 20 |
| Assists | Javier Saviola 3 | Hulk 4 |
| Yellows | Maxi Pereira 9 | Fernando Belluschi 8 |
| Reds | Fábio Coentrão 2 | Jorge Fucile 1 |
Tables
| PO | TEAM | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
FC Porto
|
24 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 56 | 8 | 48 | 68 |
| 2 |
Benfica
|
24 | 18 | 1 | 5 | 51 | 21 | 30 | 55 |
| 3 |
Braga
|
25 | 12 | 4 | 9 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 40 |
| 4 |
SP Lisbon
|
24 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 33 | 25 | 8 | 38 |
| 5 |
Ferreira
|
24 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 24 | 30 | -6 | 33 |
| 6 |
Guimaraes
|
24 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 27 | 31 | -4 | 33 |
| 7 |
Maritimo
|
25 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 31 | 26 | 5 | 31 |
| 8 |
Nacional Mad
|
24 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 21 | 27 | -6 | 31 |
| 9 |
Uniao Leiria
|
25 | 8 | 6 | 11 | 20 | 30 | -10 | 30 |
| 10 |
Beira Mar
|
25 | 6 | 11 | 8 | 29 | 30 | -1 | 29 |
| 11 |
Olhanense
|
24 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 19 | 27 | -8 | 28 |
| 12 |
Académica
|
25 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 30 | 39 | -9 | 28 |
| 13 |
Rio Ave
|
24 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 22 | 27 | -5 | 27 |
| 14 |
Setubal
|
24 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 20 | 33 | -13 | 24 |
| 15 |
Portimonense
|
25 | 4 | 7 | 14 | 23 | 41 | -18 | 19 |
| 16 |
1º de Maio
|
24 | 3 | 8 | 13 | 20 | 42 | -22 | 17 |
Next Matches
| Benfica | FC Porto | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 4/3 | FC Porto | 4/3 | @Benfica |
| 4/10 | @Naval 1º Maio | 4/10 | @Portimonense |
| 4/17 | Beira Mar | 4/17 | Sporting Lisbon |
| 5/1 | @Olhanense | 5/1 | @Vitoria Setubal |
| 5/8 | @Rio Ave | 5/8 | Paços de Ferreira |
Benfica v FC Porto Prediction
Benfica wins 2-1
Benfica v FC Porto Betting Odds
Benfica win – 11/8
Draw – 11/5
Porto win – 19/10
