Vizela vs Benfica

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Benfica is aiming to secure their fourth consecutive win in the Primeira Liga as they prepare to face Vizela this Saturday evening. Despite being last season's champions, they currently occupy the fourth spot in the league standings. On the other hand, Vizela finds themselves in 12th place, a position they are content with as they aim to avoid getting involved in a relegation battle.

Benfica had a surprising start to the new Primeira Liga season with a loss to Boavista. However, this setback seems to have sharpened their focus. They have since won three games in a row, scoring a total of nine goals. These victories came against Estrela, Gil Vicente, and Vitoria Guimaraes, with the most recent being a resounding 4-0 triumph over Vitoria right before the international break. The goal-scoring responsibility has been evenly distributed among the team members, a trend that has continued from the first four matches. Notably, veteran playmaker Angel di Maria has contributed three goals.

With other title contenders dropping points since the opening weekend, Benfica now finds themselves just one point behind the league leaders. They have high expectations of climbing further up the table in the upcoming match.

Looking at Vizela, they displayed promising performances in the early fixtures despite only collecting one point from three games. Their narrow 3-2 defeat to Sporting Lisbon, decided by a last-minute winner, showcased their qualities. However, it wasn't until their most recent match that they converted their efforts into a maximum-point victory. A second-half goal by Matheus Pereira secured a 1-0 win over Gil Vicente, propelling them to 12th place and leaving only two teams in the Primeira Liga without a win.

Manager Pablo Villar now believes that his team is on an upward trajectory. However, it's worth noting that most of these players have struggled in matches against the top teams in Portugal since the beginning of the year.

On Saturday, September 16, Benfica will be visiting the Estadio do Vizela stadium to face Vizela in the Primeira Liga. They aim to continue their winning streak in the league, which currently stands at three games.

Following their triumph over Porto in the Portuguese Supercup, Benfica encountered a setback with a 3-2 loss to Boavista at the start of their top-flight campaign. However, they swiftly turned their fortunes around, securing victories against Estrela Amadora (2-0), Gil Vicente (3-2), and Vitoria (4-0).

With nine points from four games, Benfica currently occupy the fourth position in the league standings. A win in this match will provide them with a confidence boost before their UEFA Champions League debut against RB Salzburg on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Vizela managed to secure their first top-flight win of the season just before the international break. A 56th-minute goal from Matheus Pereira secured a 1-0 victory against Gil Vicente. Prior to this, they had suffered two defeats and earned one draw in their initial three matches.

This victory lifted Vizela from the relegation zone to the 12th spot, accumulating four points from as many games.

In the six encounters between these two teams, Benfica emerged victorious in five and played to a draw in one. Having previously won 2-0 in their last visit to Vizela's stadium, Benfica is aiming for back-to-back wins for the first time since the 2019-20 season. Notably, Benfica's Joao Mario has scored in his last two matches against Vizela.

Benfica is also striving to secure four wins out of their initial five league games for the fourth consecutive year. Their returning star, Angel Di Maria, is keen on scoring in his third league game and fourth in the last five matches.

After four games this season, Benfica leads as the most prolific side with a total of 11 goals.

Last season, Vizela found themselves in the middle of the Portuguese Primeira Liga table, harboring some hope of making it into the top five. However, those hopes seemed faint. Over the summer, they underwent a managerial change, with Al

Villar will want to name a team that is as similar to the one that defeated Gil Vicente as possible.

If Villar opts for a more defensive approach, full-back Orest Lebedenko could be utilized further down the left wing.

So far, eight players have started every game, indicating that Villar favours consistency over the necessity to make a variety of changes.

If all of the Benfica players who have been on international assignment return without injury, Schmidt may be able to keep the same starting lineup.

David Neres and Arthur Cabral are set to be among the substitutions, with Joao Mario and Petar Musa remaining in the final third.