Portimonense vs Benfica Predictions

• Benfica have won nine of their 12 away Primeira Liga games this season.
• Portimonense have conceded multiple goals in four of their last seven home games in all competitions.
• Benfica have scored at least two goals in five of their last six away league games, only failing at leaders Porto.

Eagles aiming to claw back gap to Sporting

Benfica can still bridge the four-point gap to Sporting in second place, so there shouldn’t be any easing off from Nelson Verissimo’s side at Portimonense this weekend.

The Eagles extended their unbeaten run to five with a 3-0 triumph at home to out-of-form Vitoria Guimaraes last time out and appear, on the surface, to be going in the right direction again. Their odds to win Saturday’s game in the Algarve would suggest another three points should be a formality even though Portimonense are unbeaten in four and stunned Benfica 1-0 at the Luz earlier this season.

However, all the stats from that October meeting suggest the hosts were robbed as Benfica had double the amount of shots and shots on target, three times the visitors’ corner count and an xG of 2.68 to Portimonense’s 0.22. Visiting coach Paulo Sergio bravely switched to a 3-5-2 formation that gave his defenders some outlets downfield to relieve pressure when they were under the cosh.

Portimonense’s potency problems a cause for concern

His team also acquitted themselves well in a 3-2 away defeat at Sporting late last year and have been far superior than their opponents – according to xG figures – in four of their last five at home. The fact they have taken just three points from those games suggests the lack a reliable goalscorer and that’s certainly likely to bite them if they can’t convert the chances they create against Benfica.

The stats would suggest that both teams to score is a strong possibility here given 11 of the last 12 Portimonense games have seen the nets at either end ripple and such a bet would have landed in four of the last five Benfica aways. But our concerns over Portimonense’s striker situation mean the preferred play here is to back the visitors to grab a couple of goals.

Portimonense have conceded multiple goals in four of their last seven home games in all competitions while Benfica, who really should win, have scored at least two goals in five of their last six away league games, only failing at leaders Porto. A 2-0 away win is the forecast as Benfica have won by a margin of two goals or more in four of their last six league road trips.

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