Get this? Benfica may end up backing Sporting in the Portuguese Cup | OneFootball

The end of the season in Portugal could bring a surprising scenario involving Benfica and Sporting. Everything depends on a specific combination between the final Liga Portugal Betclic standings and the outcome of the Portuguese Cup, and that possibility is already generating plenty of talk.

At the moment, the qualification model for European competitions states that the winner of the Portuguese Cup secures direct access to the league phase of the Europa League.

If Sporting finish the league in the top two and win the Portuguese Cup, the direct Europa League spot will not be used by the Lions. In that case, that place would pass to the team that finishes third in the league, a situation that could directly benefit the Eagles.

This is precisely where Benfica come into the equation. If the Eagles finish third in Liga Betclic, they could benefit from that European spot without having to go through qualifying rounds, avoiding six more matches at the start of the season.

- having beaten their eternal rival in the last round - , with one more point than Sporting (with one game less) and seven behind Porto. With winning the league now almost out of reach, 2nd place, which grants access to the Champions League qualifiers, becomes the most realistic objective for José Mourinho’s side.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.