Mourinho aims to repay Benfica fans in Derby de Lisboa clash

-MyKhel Team

Jose Mourinho is preparing for an important clash as Benfica face Sporting CP in the Derby de Lisboa. This is his first encounter with Sporting since a 1–1 draw while managing Porto in January 2004. Despite never losing to Sporting in six Primeira Liga matches, Mourinho’s team has faced challenges at the Estadio da Luz, winning only two of four home games under his stewardship.

Benfica manager, Rui Borges, aims to secure a win against one of his biggest rivals. Mourinho stressed the importance of respecting opponents when striving for victory, calling it “a Benfica team that wants to win.” He acknowledged that he owed it to the fans if performances did not live up to expectations, but stressed the players’ responsibility to respect their profession and the club.

Sporting CP enter the match with momentum, having won seven of their last eight top-flight games. Rui Borges celebrated his 50th match as Sporting boss with a 4–0 win over Estrela da Amadora. Borges expressed confidence in his team’s ability to face Benfica without any fear, highlighting their growth and balance in both offensive and defensive play.

Borges commented, “We are not going to run away from our idea, but have a great team that will force us to be more balanced.” He stressed the importance of maintaining confidence without being overconfident as they prepare for a challenging clash against Benfica.

In this anticipated match, all three of the Primeira Liga’s top scorers will be on display. Vangelis Pavlidis leads Benfica with 10 goals in 12 matches this season. His impressive statistics include the highest expected goals (xG) at 10.1 and a shot conversion rate of 25.6% among players with more than 20 shots on goal.

Sporting’s Luis Suarez has scored nine times this season, but Pedro Goncalves, known as Pote, poses a more significant threat with eight goals and five assists. Pote leads the league in chances created (32) and shares the highest goal involvement (13) with Pavlidis.

Match predictions and historical context

The Opta supercomputer favors Benfica for this derby despite their recent struggles against Sporting. Benfica have won only one of their last six league derbies against Sporting (D3 L2), having failed to win any of their last three encounters (D1 L2). However, Sporting have historically struggled at the Estadio da Luz, winning only two of their last 19 visits (D7 L10).

Sporting’s away form has been impressive, having won 10 of their last 11 Primeira Liga matches on the road (D1). Their only exception was a draw against Friday opponents in May. Opta’s win probability suggests a close tie: Benfica at 43.3%, draw at 26.7%, and Sporting CP at 30%.