Portuguese League - Liga Portugal 2025/26

[Pumared]

-snip-

Benfica defeated Ajax in the Champions League yesterday and finally secured the three points. They had lost every Champions League match so far, and Jose Mourinho had been heavily criticized for it. However, their away win in the Netherlands brought them some relief. Now they need to further solidify their league position. Benfica is currently one of the unbeaten teams in Portugal, but they sit in third place. They need a win; staying unbeaten is certainly a good thing. But the win and the three points are more important.

Benfica defeated the worst team in UEFA Champions League so far and I can't imagine the face of the owners if Benfica lost it. I wouldn't count a lot on that game but it will certainly boost the team spirit before facing Sporting this Friday. The match will be intense in my opinion. Benfica which has the home advantage has 2.7 odds to win on average while Sporting odds are at 2.5.
I tend to support Sporting over Benfica.

I think the same way, I see Sporting as a much better team and tactically than any other team in the Portuguese league, especially Benfica. Benfica struggles to win games against bottom-of-the-table teams, while Sporting, in my view, is much more decisive.

[joker_josue]

After another round, what we saw was:
Sporting won their game with great ease, keeping the team highly motivated for the next round against Benfica.
Benfica won with great difficulty against a team that is never easy; it certainly gave them a bit more encouragement, but things aren't that easy.
Porto also won with difficulty, beginning to show a drop in rhythm compared to the first games of the season.
Gil Vicente lost to a team at the bottom of the table; has their run of good performances come to an end?


Here are all the results from the round:
MATCH DAY 12 - RESULTS:
Vitória SC 4-0 AVS
Casa Pia 0-2 Alverca
Moreirense 2-2 Famalicão
CD Nacional 1-2 SL Benfica
Gil Vicente 0-1 Tondela
Rio Ave 1-1 Santa Clara
Sporting CP 4-0 Amadora
Porto 1-0 Estoril Praia
Arouca 0-4 Braga

[Pumared]

^

The favorites won this round. And Braga really surprised everyone with a great victory. Are they finally convincing? Furthermore, Benfica and Sporting winning was also very good for maintaining their positions at the top, despite several championships currently underway.

[rdluffy]

...

Challenging top 3 is never been easy for any team because these top teams have enough sources, and they are also having good quality players this is big difference Gil Vincente is currently doing good but still many round with few challenging matches in last game they lost against a relegation zone team at home before this have 1 point against bottom side AFS.

Consistency is always important Braga is surely having troubling time, but they can fight back with better and improved strategy Porto is doing good at the top Benfica vs Sporting CP is going to be had good contest this can create good chance for Porto have better difference of points from opponents.

I've seen the championship start a little differently, with some teams gaining prominence, but in the end, the top 3 end up being much more consistent, stronger, and ultimately the 3 are fighting amongst themselves only
It's very rare to see a fight for 4th place

An interesting thing is that there's a lot of talk about Benfica not doing so well, or that Sporting isn't as strong as in previous years, but in 12 games, there's only 1 defeat, by Sporting itself, so 36 matches, only 1 defeat for top 3 teams 

This shows how strong the 3 are

[Kuingsudaqila]

...

Challenging top 3 is never been easy for any team because these top teams have enough sources, and they are also having good quality players this is big difference Gil Vincente is currently doing good but still many round with few challenging matches in last game they lost against a relegation zone team at home before this have 1 point against bottom side AFS.

Consistency is always important Braga is surely having troubling time, but they can fight back with better and improved strategy Porto is doing good at the top Benfica vs Sporting CP is going to be had good contest this can create good chance for Porto have better difference of points from opponents.

I've seen the championship start a little differently, with some teams gaining prominence, but in the end, the top 3 end up being much more consistent, stronger, and ultimately the 3 are fighting amongst themselves only
It's very rare to see a fight for 4th place

An interesting thing is that there's a lot of talk about Benfica not doing so well, or that Sporting isn't as strong as in previous years, but in 12 games, there's only 1 defeat, by Sporting itself, so 36 matches, only 1 defeat for top 3 teams 

This shows how strong the 3 are

Benfica can open up a very big chance to win the league if they manage to win the exciting battle in the big match against Sporting Lisbon this weekend. Benfica is also greatly advantaged because this match will coincidentally be played at Estadio da Luz, Benfica's home ground. Actually, Benfica vs Sporting Lisbon is a derby match because both teams come from the same city, Lisbon. Certainly, both teams, which regularly are at the top of the table, have a prestigious reputation in the Portuguese league, and this derby match will be very tight, interesting, and full of intrigue.

[joker_josue]

That's what we can see when we look at the standings table.

Despite Benfica's instability, Porto's confidence issues, or Sporting's quality of play, these three teams are at the top, more or less close to each other.

The expectation is focused on the next game between Benfica and Sporting, as it could dictate the course of the competition for Benfica.


Here is the current standings table, so we can understand how things really stand:

LEADERBOARD:

POS	Team	PTS	PLD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
1	FC Porto	34	12	11	1	0	25	3	22
2	Sporting Clube de Portugal	31	12	10	1	1	31	6	25
3	Sport Lisboa e Benfica	28	12	8	4	0	25	7	18
4	Gil Vicente FC	23	12	7	2	3	16	6	10
5	FC Famalicão	20	12	5	5	2	13	7	6
6	Sporting Clube de Braga	19	12	5	4	3	23	11	12
7	Moreirense FC	19	12	6	1	5	18	17	1
8	Vitória SC	17	12	5	2	5	14	17	-3
9	FC Alverca	14	12	4	2	6	14	19	-5
10	GD Estoril Praia	13	12	3	4	5	19	18	1
11	Rio Ave FC	13	12	2	7	3	15	20	-5
12	CD Santa Clara	12	12	3	3	6	10	14	-4
13	CD Nacional	12	12	3	3	6	12	17	-5
14	CF Estrela da Amadora	11	12	2	5	5	13	18	-5
15	Casa Pia AC	9	12	2	3	7	13	26	-13
16	CD Tondela	9	12	2	3	7	7	20	-13
17	FC Arouca	9	12	2	3	7	13	34	-21
18	AVS	3	12	0	3	9	8	29	-21

___
POS - League Position, PLD - Games Played, PTS - Points Earned
W - Games Won, L - Games Lost, D - Games Drawn
GD - Goal Difference, GF - Goal For, GA - Goal Against

[rdluffy]

Benfica can open up a very big chance to win the league if they manage to win the exciting battle in the big match against Sporting Lisbon this weekend. Benfica is also greatly advantaged because this match will coincidentally be played at Estadio da Luz, Benfica's home ground. Actually, Benfica vs Sporting Lisbon is a derby match because both teams come from the same city, Lisbon. Certainly, both teams, which regularly are at the top of the table, have a prestigious reputation in the Portuguese league, and this derby match will be very tight, interesting, and full of intrigue.

It's still too early to say that hehehe, but generally the league is decided in the games between the top 3
The games between them, Sporting, Porto and Benfica, are the most important of the season

If a team manages to win both of their opponent's matches, they get very important points, because in addition to winning the 6 points, they also prevent the other team from winning any points

The expectation is focused on the next game between Benfica and Sporting, as it could dictate the course of the competition for Benfica.

If Benfica manages to beat Sporting, they will tie in points, which is better for Benfica

However, that's exactly what Porto wants, since if they win they will have 37 points and open up a 6-point lead over the other two

A great game, I'll definitely watch it 

[joker_josue]

However, that's exactly what Porto wants, since if they win they will have 37 points and open up a 6-point lead over the other two

A great game, I'll definitely watch it 

Yes, in case of Benfica's victory, Porto has a good advantage.
Even so, several times it has been seen that 6 points is not a big advantage in the Portuguese championship, even before the middle of the season.

The championship would have greater expectations, and that's what we really want.

[CLS63]

Benfica already played one of the toughest matches in this half of the season against Porto away. They managed to steal 1 point by a 0-0 draw in that. I put it that way because it was really a steal with that terrible performance.

I think Mourinho will prefer a cautious game in the Sporting match too as usual. But they should play more attacking while they have a good chance to reach the same points with Sporting.

They got a 1-1 draw against Sporting in their last home match in the league. I think a similar result is likely.

[Pumared]

However, that's exactly what Porto wants, since if they win they will have 37 points and open up a 6-point lead over the other two

A great game, I'll definitely watch it 

Yes, in case of Benfica's victory, Porto has a good advantage.
Even so, several times it has been seen that 6 points is not a big advantage in the Portuguese championship, even before the middle of the season.

The championship would have greater expectations, and that's what we really want.

I agree, that difference will decrease in two rounds and may even increase, but historically it shouldn't be that big. The teams haven't yet fought enough against those at the bottom of the table to see if there are significant advantages. The standings tend to change quite a bit from 4th place onwards!

[Abbatty]

A big match coming up, it a game that will have a hug say in the chase for the title this season, one thing about this match is it never disappoints, it always bring what is expected, the fight, the anxiety, the pressure, and most of all the noise by the fans. Benfica will be at home and with Jose morihno now as their coach I think I will say they can win this game. As for me I will be gambling on both teams to score, I feel it more say and the odd is also very inviting.

A win for Benfica and Jose morihno will put them in that position they really want to be, it will make them a bit more favorite to win the league. Jose is a born winner and I would say if he can go top of the league he might not even drop again till the season ends. He would have to win sporting first the put the pressure on Porto who are currently the leader and a huge favorite to win the league this season.

[Pumared]

A big match coming up, it a game that will have a hug say in the chase for the title this season, one thing about this match is it never disappoints, it always bring what is expected, the fight, the anxiety, the pressure, and most of all the noise by the fans. Benfica will be at home and with Jose morihno now as their coach I think I will say they can win this game. As for me I will be gambling on both teams to score, I feel it more say and the odd is also very inviting.

A win for Benfica and Jose morihno will put them in that position they really want to be, it will make them a bit more favorite to win the league. Jose is a born winner and I would say if he can go top of the league he might not even drop again till the season ends. He would have to win sporting first the put the pressure on Porto who are currently the leader and a huge favorite to win the league this season.

For this game, my pre-game analysis is quite simple. Sporting hasn't lost or drawn away from home. But Benfica is playing at home, and that counts for a lot. It's a balanced match. So, based on these statistics, a comfortable prediction would be Sporting or a draw. But if you want something riskier, a draw or a 2-1 win for Sporting is quite possible.

[rdluffy]

Take a look at the odds:



This is an extremely difficult game to predict
I'm not going to bet, but I'll watch of course

If I were to bet, it would be on a draw, and even the odds are reflecting the chances
Sporting seems a bit stronger at the moment, but Benfica is playing at home, so a draw would be my best bet

[letteredhub]

[

Benfica defeated Ajax in the Champions League yesterday and finally secured the three points. They had lost every Champions League match so far, and Jose Mourinho had been heavily criticized for it. However, their away win in the Netherlands brought them some relief. Now they need to further solidify their league position. Benfica is currently one of the unbeaten teams in Portugal, but they sit in third place. They need a win; staying unbeaten is certainly a good thing. But the win and the three points are more important.

Actually I don't know what to make out of this Benfica side, despite having a renowned coach like Jose Mourinho the team still struggles to win games even at home, the squad is quite a dominated with young talents and some mature players like Otamendi, Angel Di Maria which gives the squad a balance in terms of experience and versatility yet the team hasn't lived up to expectation with Mourinho as manager. Benfica doesn't look like a team that can make it past the group stages of the UCL and I don't see them as potential contenders for the Portuguese league title either.

[joker_josue]

With Benfica hosting Sporting at home, in a very important game to avoid losing ground to Porto, who are currently in first place.
Sporting, on the other hand, will not want to lose and fall further behind Porto.

Who will win?

Here is the list of all the games for round 13:

MATCH DAY 13:
^{05.12 20:15} SL Benfica vs Sporting CP
^{06.12 15:30} Santa Clara vs Casa Pia
^{06.12 18:00} AVS vs Rio Ave
^{06.12 20:30} Famalicão vs Braga
^{07.12 15:30} Estoril Praia vs Moreirense
^{07.12 18:00} Alverca vs CD Nacional
^{07.12 18:00} Amadora vs Arouca
^{07.12 20:30} Tondela vs Porto
^{08.12 20:30} Vitória SC vs Gil Vicente
_{Info: day.month. time (UTC)}

[Samahabosa]

With Benfica hosting Sporting at home, in a very important game to avoid losing ground to Porto, who are currently in first place.
Sporting, on the other hand, will not want to lose and fall further behind Porto.

Who will win?

Here is the list of all the games for round 13:

MATCH DAY 13:
^{05.12 20:15} SL Benfica vs Sporting CP
^{06.12 15:30} Santa Clara vs Casa Pia
^{06.12 18:00} AVS vs Rio Ave
^{06.12 20:30} Famalicão vs Braga
^{07.12 15:30} Estoril Praia vs Moreirense
^{07.12 18:00} Alverca vs CD Nacional
^{07.12 18:00} Amadora vs Arouca
^{07.12 20:30} Tondela vs Porto
^{08.12 20:30} Vitória SC vs Gil Vicente
_{Info: day.month. time (UTC)}

FC Porto will clearly win this match. Why? Because their opponent, Tondela, is a very weak team currently at the bottom of the table and in the relegation zone. This is certainly the best opportunity for FC Porto to distance themselves from their competitors by winning this easy match.
Meanwhile, their two rivals, Benfica and Sporting Lisbon, are clashing in the Lisbon derby. If the match ends in a draw or Benfica wins, it will definitely be a big advantage for FC Porto because the point difference with the second place team will surely widen.

[Akbarkoe]

^

The favorites won this round. And Braga really surprised everyone with a great victory. Are they finally convincing? Furthermore, Benfica and Sporting winning was also very good for maintaining their positions at the top, despite several championships currently underway.

Braga played really crazy ball, the whole match was played by him, 84% possession of the ball, that's amazing, 4-0 is still not enough in my opinion, Sporting and Benfica have to keep winning if they want to stay at the top because their goal difference is quite close to the teams below them, but unfortunately Porto is much more consistent, even though yesterday they only won the match with a very narrow goal.

[Cryptmuster]

With Benfica hosting Sporting at home, in a very important game to avoid losing ground to Porto, who are currently in first place.
Sporting, on the other hand, will not want to lose and fall further behind Porto.

Who will win?

Here is the list of all the games for round 13:

MATCH DAY 13:
^{05.12 20:15} SL Benfica vs Sporting CP
^{06.12 15:30} Santa Clara vs Casa Pia
^{06.12 18:00} AVS vs Rio Ave
^{06.12 20:30} Famalicão vs Braga
^{07.12 15:30} Estoril Praia vs Moreirense
^{07.12 18:00} Alverca vs CD Nacional
^{07.12 18:00} Amadora vs Arouca
^{07.12 20:30} Tondela vs Porto
^{08.12 20:30} Vitória SC vs Gil Vicente
_{Info: day.month. time (UTC)}

I think Porto is in the best position this round. If Benfica wins or draws, it will hold off Sporting. Porto will be able to take advantage of this and should beat Tondela this round. Perhaps Sporting will manage to beat Benfica; I wouldn't rule that out either, as Benfica is often throwing us surprises these days, although I think they should avoid defeat at home. But if they draw today (or Benfica wins) and Porto wins their game, Porto will take the lead, and I think that's the most likely outcome.

[redhack]

Sporting missed their chance. If they had beaten Benfica, they would have been level with Porto, but they dropped two points in a match they were leading. Undoubtedly, this result benefited Porto the most. Benfica is still in the race, but if Porto wins its missing match, the points gap will be 8. That's a huge difference. I think this is Porto's year. When Porto beats Tondela, they will be 5 points ahead of Sporting. With a third of the league season gone, they have made almost no mistakes.

[LTU_btc]

Sporting missed their chance. If they had beaten Benfica, they would have been level with Porto, but they dropped two points in a match they were leading. Undoubtedly, this result benefited Porto the most. Benfica is still in the race, but if Porto wins its missing match, the points gap will be 8. That's a huge difference. I think this is Porto's year. When Porto beats Tondela, they will be 5 points ahead of Sporting. With a third of the league season gone, they have made almost no mistakes.

Yeah, winner of Benfica - Sporting game is Porto without any doubts. Draw is best possible result for them. And draw is fair result for tonight's game, none of teams didn't had big advantage on the pitch. Now Porto have perfect opportunity to extend their lead to 5 points. On paper game with Tondela looks easy