Sporting vs Benfica

Sporting Lisbon and Benfica will fight for the 2024-25 Taca da Liga title in the estadio Dr. Magalhaes Pessoa on Saturday during the much anticipated Lisbon derby final.

The two giants of Lisbon clashed at that level two years ago with Leoes emerging victorious with 2-1 scoreline. They emerged winners through second half strikes from Goncalo Incao and Pablo Sarabia to lift the cup for the first time.

After letting Porto triumph in the Portuguese Super Cup pulsating 4-3 in the final the previous August, Sporting Lisbon will be desperate to do utmost to prevent another title heartbreak and secure at least one trophy for the current campaign.

Rui Borges men have proved their calibre on their way to the final—they thrashed Nacional 3-1 in the quarter-finals on October 29 before scraping home against Porto in the semi final on Tuesday.

After an overwhelmingly dominant display in front of Goals, Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres was again on the score sheet at the Estadio Jose Alvalade as he registered the only goal of the match four minutes before the hour mark which was enough to see off Sporting Lisbon and progress to the final.

With that result, the Leoes are now unbeaten in the last six games in all competitions – their record reading four wins and two draws, scoring 11 goals and keeping three clean sheets – they had lost each of the last four games.

Holding the Taca da Liga trophy may play a key role in sporting Lisbon getting ready for the Premier League as they are at the moment at the top of the league order with 41 points from 17 matches one point ahead of second placed Porto but with a game in hand.

On the other hand, Benfica easily defeated 10-man Braga 3-0 in the semi-finals of the Taca da Liga on Wednesday at the Estadio da Luz, securing their place in the championship game.

Angel Di Maria put on a strong individual performance, scoring both goals in the 28th minute to propel the host team to the final after defeating Santa Clara by the same tally in the quarterfinals back in October.

Benfica had lost both of their previous games. On December 29, they fell 1-0 to Sporting Lisbon, ending their nine-game winning streak in all competitions. On January 4, they lost 2-1 to Braga in the first leg of their league-and-cup doubleheader.

Bruno Lage's team is still very much in the running for the crown despite their recent slump in Primeira Liga play. They currently sit third in the league rankings with 38 points after 17 games, three points behind Sporting at the top.

As Daniel Braganca (muscle), Nuno Santos (ligament), and Inacio (muscle) continue their stints on the sidelines, Sporting Lisbon will have to deal with the absence of many players down the spine of the team.

Gyokeres' goal involvement total for club and nation this season now stands at 49 after his game-winning goal against Porto last time out. We anticipate the 26-year-old to spearhead the home team's attack once more.

In Benfica's case, Portuguese attacker Tiago Gouveia is still out after suffering a serious shoulder injury against Estrela Amadora in August.

Apart from that, Lage has the luxury of a comparatively full strength team at his disposal because Aguias enters the final in good health and without any suspension problems.