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Benfica and Sporting Lisbon square off at the Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica in the final of the Taca da Liga on Saturday.
This will be the second meeting between the sides this season after Sporting Lisbon cruised to a comfortable 3-1 victory when they locked horns in the Primeira Liga back in December.
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Benfica continued their fine run of results last time out as they saw off Boavista in a thrilling penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes to secure their place in the cup final.
Nélson Verissimo’s men are now unbeaten in each of their last four games, claiming three wins and one draw in that time.
Benfica head into Saturday’s game unbeaten in each of their last three Taca da Liga meetings against Sporting Lisbon and will look to keep the juggernaut rolling.
Meanwhile, Sporting Lisbon claimed a 2-1 win over Santa Clara last time out to secure their place in the Taca da Liga final.
This followed a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Sporting Braga which saw their two-game winning streak come to an end.
Sporting Lisbon, who are the reigning cup champions, will now look to defend their title and pick up their second piece of silverware of the season.
Benfica vs Sporting Lisbon Head-To-Head
The Derby de Lisboa is one of the fiercest rivalries in Portuguese football history, dating back to 1907, when Sporting Lisbon claimed a 2-1 victory in their first-ever encounter.
Benfica have been the superior side in this fixture, claiming 136 wins from their 312 meetings to date. Sporting Lisbon have picked up 111 wins in that time, while 65 games have ended in draws.
Benfica Form Guide: L-W-D-W-W
Sporting Lisbon Form Guide: L-W-W-L-W
Benfica vs Sporting Lisbon Team News
Benfica
Rodrigo Pinho, Lucas Veríssimo, Haris Seferovic and Rafa Silva are all recuperating from injuries and will sit out Saturday’s game. Nicolás Otamendi and Darwin Nunez are both on international duty with Argentina and Uruguay respectively.
Injured: Rodrigo Pinho, Lucas Veríssimo, Haris Seferovic, Rafa Silva
Suspended: None
Unavailable: Nicolás Otamendi and Darwin Nunez
Sporting Lisbon
The Leoes will take to the pitch without Daniel Braganca and Pedro Porro, who have been sidelined through injuries.
Injured: Daniel Braganca, Pedro Porro
Suspended: None
Benfica vs Sporting Lisbon Predicted XI
Benfica Predicted XI (4-4-2): Odysseas Vlachodimos; Valentino Lazaro, Jan Vertonghen, André Almeida, Alejandro Grimaldo; Gilberto, Julian Weigl, Joao Mario, Pizzi; Roman Yaremchuk, Everton
Sporting Lisbon Predicted XI (3-4-3): Antonio Adan; Sebastian Coates, Goncalo Inacio, Zouhair Feddal; Ricardo Esgaio, Joao Palhinha, Matheus Nunes, Matheus Reis; Pedro Goncalves, Pablo Sarabia, Paulinho
Benfica vs Sporting Lisbon Prediction
Benfica and Sporting Lisbon are two of the biggest sides in Portuguese football and we expect a thrilling contest on Saturday. However, Sporting Lisbon head into the game as the more in-form side and we are tipping them to come away with the win and clinch the title.
Prediction: Benfica 1-2 Sporting Lisbon
