Soccer-Portuguese title on the line as Benfica host rivals Sporting
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Primeira Liga - Sporting CP v Benfica - Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal - December 29, 2024 Sporting CP's Viktor Gyokeres in action with Benfica's Tomas Araujo REUTERS/Rodrigo Antunes/File Photo
(Reuters) - Sporting and Benfica lock horns in a Lisbon derby on Saturday that could decide the Portuguese league title with a game left in one of the closest races the country has seen in years.
The Portuguese capital rivals both have 78 points, with Sporting top by virtue of winning the first clash between the teams 1-0 at the Jose Alvalade stadium back in December.
If Sporting win on Saturday they will be champions, while if Benfica triumph by at least a two-goal margin they will reclaim the title with a superior head-to-head record.
A one-goal victory for Benfica would mean the title being decided next weekend when goal difference could come into play, with Sporting currently three goals better off than Benfica.
If the match is drawn, Sporting will retain the title by at least matching their rival's result on the final matchday.
With third-placed Porto long out of the title race, trailing 13 points behind the top two and level on 65 points with Braga, the Lisbon rivalry between Benfica and Sporting has dominated the campaign and not only in the league.
Benfica beat Sporting on penalties in the League Cup final in January and they will meet again at the iconic Jamor National Stadium in the Portuguese Cup final on May 25.
It will be a clash of two coaches who took charge of struggling sides in mid-season and got them back on track.
Rui Borges in late December replaced Joao Pereira, who lasted only 42 days after he was named Sporting manager following Ruben Amorim's move to Manchester United.
Amorin left Sporting in comfortable position at the top but a series of bad results forced the club to make a quick change and hire the 43-year-old Borges from Vitoria Guimaraes.
Sporting were already feeling the heat from Bruno Lage's Benfica, who was hired in September for a second tenure after Roger Schmidt was fired only four matchdays into the season.
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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