The fixture between Sporting and Benfica is so steeped in history and significance that it is known in Portugal as “the eternal derby”. This Saturday’s clash in particular has all the ingredients to go down in eternity.
Separated by just one point, events in recent months have served to turn up several notches the intense rivalry between the two clubs.
First because of Sporting’s bold move to lure away the most successful Benfica coach of the last two decades, Jorge Jesus, second because Benfica responded in kind by signing Sporting’s contract rebel André Carrillo on a free transfer, and third because the two clubs are battling it out in one of the most closely fought title races in years.
PortuGOAL previews the eagerly awaited Lisbon derby.
Sporting got an immediate return on the hiring of Jorge Jesus by winning the season-opening Super Cup, precisely against their city rivals, and then beating Benfica twice more in the early months of the season, in the league fixture at the Estádio da Luz (3-0) and in the Portuguese Cup at Alvalade (2-1).
At that point of the campaign, Benfica looked a long way short of Sporting’s potential, falling eight points behind their neighbours at one stage, thus inverting the tendency of the last few seasons and heaping pressure on the Eagles’ coach Rui Vitória. But Vitória and Benfica have responded magnificently, winning all but two of their league games since then (15 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat), not to mention an excellent Champions League campaign that sees the Lisbon giants in with a good chance of reaching the quarter-finals.
The emergence of all-action midfield sensation Renatos Sanches, the insatiable goalscoring appetite of Brazilian striker Jonas and a settled team go a long way to explaining the turnaround. Will Vitória, derided by much of the local press as well as his predecessor Jesus during his shaky start to life as Benfica coach, yet have the last laugh?
As for Sporting, steady improvement has been noticeable at all levels of the club since the election of their ambitious and pugnacious president Bruno de Carvalho, and on the pitch the team have undoubtedly taken a qualitative leap this season. The Lions have lost just once in the Liga, and the categorical victories over Benfica and FC Porto in particular will give the side confidence going into this weekend’s crunch game.
Captain Adrien, young midfield schemer João Mário and striker Islam Slimani have all performed at a consistent level of excellence, but a big difference this season – beyond the injection of confidence brought by a coach with a winning track record – has been the contribution made by a series of experienced performers, contrasting to Sporting’s usual reliance upon their academy players. The likes of Bryan Ruiz, Naldo and the recently acquired Sebastián Coates are all players who are unlikely to be overawed by the big occasion.
Put simply, the 298th meeting between the two eternal rivals could not be more finely poised.
Sporting’s key players
Few have taken on board Jorge Jesus’ fighting spirit quite as well as Islam Slimani, with Saturday seeing the Algerian striker come up against the club that has been highly critical of his abrasive style of play – Benfica. Slimani has had his fair share of success against the ‘Águias’ with two goals in as many games against Sporting’s city rivals, as he looks to mark his 100th appearance for ‘Os Leões’ with yet more goals. The target man has already conjured up his best record in a Sporting shirt by scoring 18 times in the Liga NOS this season, accounting for approximately 40% of his club’s total amount of league goals so far this season.
One of Jesus’ first actions as Sporting manager was to hand Adrien Silva the captaincy and the Portuguese midfielder has repaid the manager with exemplary performances throughout much of the season. With his relentless work ethic and ability to spearhead the team from midfield, Adrien has undoubtedly proven to be the embodiment of Sporting’s core values on the pitch, maturing with each passing game both in attack and defence. The 26-year-old is, however, a doubt for the derby which would represent a bitter pill for Sporting to swallow in a time when they find themselves short of habitual form.
Sporting’s creativity hasn’t quite been up to scratch this season and one of the few players to offer ‘Os Leões’ some much needed guile on a consistent basis has been former Fulham man Bryan Ruiz. The Costa Rican is, arguably, Sporting’s most technical player and he’s one Benfica can’t afford to give too much time on the ball. With Teó Gutiérrez going through a rough patch and Hernán Barcos short of match fitness, Jesus may opt to field Ruiz behind Slimani and give the 30-year-old even greater licence to roam the field and inflict damage.
Benfica’s key players
It is impossible to disassociate the turnaround in Benfica’s fortunes with the emergence of 18-year-old Renato Sanches. The box-to-box midfielder has shown astonishing maturity to become the commander-in-chief of a smoothly functioning team, and it is no surprise he has been heavily linked to a big-money move to several of Europe’s biggest clubs in the summer. With Sporting’s equally dynamic captain Adrien also marauding up and down the centre of the pitch, the winner of this particular battle will likely have a big bearing on the match outcome.
With Benfica’s talismanic captain and centre-back Luisão out long-term with a twice broken-arm, alarm bells rang out at the Estádio da Luz when his able deputy Lisandro López also went down with injury. Up stepped 21-year-old Swedish defender Victor Lindelöf, and much like the aforementioned Renato Sanches, the youngster has stepped into the first team seamlessly, so much so that Lindelöf has even been outperforming his more experienced partner, Jardel, at the heart of the Benfica defence.
Since signing on a free transfer early last season Brazilian marksman Jonas has been scoring goals for fun. He hit the net 31 times in 35 games in 2014/15 and has been equally prolific this term. Jonas has scored 28 goals in 32 games, and recently answered critics who said he was never decisive in big games by scoring the crucial winner in Benfica’s Champions League victory over Zenit St Petersburg.
Sporting’s weak points
Jesus’ men haven’t exactly been the most efficient of late in front of goal and the 0-0 draw versus Vitória Guimarães in which Sporting failed to tuck away three clear-cut chances provided us with yet more proof of the club’s shortcomings. Sporting’s predictable wing play and notable issues with creativity have also been evident, which mounts further pressure on the need to be more clinical in front of goal in what’s expected to be a game of few opportunities.
Benfica, on the other hand, have had little trouble finding the back of the net thanks to their free-scoring duo of Jonas and Kostas Mitroglou. Jesus has explored at length, largely due to injuries and suspensions, with his centre back pairing this season, surprisingly maintaining the best defensive record in the Liga NOS with all facts considered. That defence is sure to be put to the test, however, by the most potent attack in the league, as Jonas and Mitroglou have racked up 44 goals between them in all competitions.
Benfica’s weak points
It would be no surprise to see Sporting focusing the majority of their attacks down the right flank to target Benfica left-back Eliseu. A full Portugal international he may be, but it is an open secret that the former Malaga player attacks better than he defends.
Saturday’s encounter will also be a test of Benfica’s mental fortitude, especially if they fall behind. The Eagles have played five matches against Sporting and Porto this season, and have fallen to five defeats. The Portuguese champions can rightly argue they were unlucky to lose to Porto last month having dominated most of the game, but while that is true, upon falling behind with 25 minutes remaining Benfica rarely looked like finding an equaliser. At what point does a statistical curiosity become a psychological barrier?
Tactics
The 4-4-2 formation has so often been Jesus’ preferred tactical setup this season, but that hasn’t stopped him flirting with a variation of the 4-2-3-1. Despite Jesus opting for the two-striker formation in each of his last three meetings against his former club Benfica, the approach may be a different one on Saturday night.
Benfica have lost all three of their league clashes against Sporting and Porto, so the onus is very much on the visitors to register a positive result at the Estádio José Alvalade and add clarity to their head-to-head results, a potentially decisive factor come the end of the season.
The 4-2-3-1 formation enables Sporting to pack the midfield with a base of William Carvalho and Adrien Silva, whereas a second wave of midfielders consisting of Bruno César, Bryan Ruiz and João Mário, all proficient centrally, will offer ‘Os Leões’ the muscle to thwart to effectiveness of Nicolás Gaitán, Renato Sanches and Pizzi, as well as giving Jesus’ men a numerical advantage against the Samaris – Sanches axis.
As mentioned previously, Barcos is yet to regain his sharpness and the form of Teó has deserted him since the turn of the year. An attacking trio behind Slimani with the ability to roam and rotate throughout the game means the 4-2-3-1 should maximise Sporting’s chances of affecting the game both offensively and defensively.
No such uncertainty regarding Benfica’s formation. Unless Rui Vitória pulls a big surprise and barring any last-minues injuries, the Eagles will stick to the 4-4-2 formula that has served them so well over the past three months.
Quote/unquote
Sporting coach Jorge Jesus: “If they want to make Sporting favourites, we're happy with that.”
Benfica coach Rui Vitória: “We respect Sporting but we’re going to Alvalade to win.”
Probable starting line-ups
Likely Sporting XI
Rui Patrício, João Pereira, Coates, Naldo, Zeegelaar, William Carvalho, Adrien, João Mário, Bryan Ruiz, Bruno César, Slimani
Likely Benfica XI
Júlio César, André Almeida, Jardel, Victor Lindelöf, Eliseu, Samaris, Renato Sanches, Pizzi, Nico Gaitán, Jonas, Mitroglou
by Patrick Ribeiro & Tom Kundert
