One of the latest trends in sports betting is in full flow across the world. The rise of free-to-play fantasy sports leagues has been impressive over the last decade and in turn has led to the rise of daily fantasy sports betting across various markets.
Betting on fantasy sport leagues has really taken off over the last few seasons as a great way to really get involved and, hopefully, to win a little bit of cash too. But the toughest part of any fantasy league is trying to pick the very best set of players for the season.
As any fan knows, past performance is never any guarantee of future results but it's probably the most reliable indicator that you can hope for. Take the Portuguese league, for example. If we’re trying to come up with an all-conquering eleven for next season then it could be a good idea to look at the star players from the teams that did best in the Primeira Liga in 2015-16.
Top of the league, by a shade, was Benfica with Sporting not far behind and FC Porto a few points lower down. So it makes sense to pick the best of the best from these teams – and here’s a formidable eleven, at least in terms of their stats.
Goalkeeper
Rui Patricio (Sporting)
Patricio is the keeper who has let in fewer goals than anyone else in the league over the season – just 21 over 34 games – making him the natural choice between the posts.
Defence
Eliseu (Benfica)
The 32-year old defender is a specialist at left back or left wing but also has another very handy skill at his disposal – a killer shot from outside the box.
Maxi Pereira (Porto)
At right back you could do far worse than the Uruguayan Pereira. Before coming to Porto he played at Benfica between 2007 and 2015 and has already made a big impression at the club.
Miguel Layun (Porto)
Taking advantage of the fact you can pick an extra full-back instead of two centre-backs, the Mexican international who moved to Porto from Watford on loan in August 2015 and has proved to be a very valuable member of the team is a good choice. He not only chipped in with the occasional goal, but racked up an impressive number of assists when venturing up field.
Jardel (Benfica)
A rock at the heart of Benfica’s defence, he is the unsung hero of this season’s championship winning side, combining solid defensive displays with some crucial goals at the other end of the pitch.
Midfield
Danilo Pereira (Porto)
Originally from Guinea-Bissau but now of Portuguese nationality, Pereira plays both for his country and for Porto as a defensive midfielder, but he still managed to score a total of six goals in the Liga in the season. He’s currently in the first year of a four-year contract with the team.
Pizzi (Benfica)
Somewhat overshadowed by the spectacular emergence of midfield partner Renato Sanches, Pizzi’s role in Benfica’s success should not be overlooked, the midfielder contributing 8 goals in the league – a record he may well be looking to improve on in 2016/17.
Adrien Silva (Sporting)
Silva has spent most of his professional career at Sporting, but truly came of age this season under the guidance of new coach Jorge Jesus.
João Mário (Sporting)
Mário gets the nod as the fourth midfielder having turned himself into the team’s star man this season, after graduating through the Sporting youth academy.
Strikers
Jonas (Benfica)
As the league’s top scorer with 32 goals Jonas is an essential in any team – but watch out, he may use up a great deal of your striker budget.
Islam Slimani (Sporting)
Slimani was second top scorer with 27 goals in the season. He’s now said to be the target of transfer enquiries from a number of Premiership teams, but it’s going to cost them at least 30 million euros to break his contract with Sporting.
So now it’s over to you to decide whether you follow this advice or pick your own top Portuguese league team. Whether it takes you to the top of the league or mid-table obscurity remains to be seen. But you should have a lot of fun finding out.
