Miguel Nogueira back for Porto-Benfica, warning signs; what to know | OneFootball

Miguel Nogueira was the referee chosen to officiate Sunday’s FC Porto-Benfica clash, at 8:30 p.m., at the Estádio do Dragão. At 32 years old, the AF Lisboa official will referee the third clássico of his career, after the first two were marked by several controversial incidents.

Interestingly, Miguel Nogueira’s first big match was also an FC Porto-Benfica game, played on October 5, 2025, in the eighth round of the Primeira Liga. The match, then between the teams coached by Francesco Farioli and José Mourinho, ended in a goalless draw, but the refereeing ended up taking center stage.

In the very first minute, Pavlidis caught Gabri Veiga with an elbow, in a play where Miguel Nogueira did not call any foul. Near the end, in the 88th minute, António Silva held Deniz Gul inside the box, but the referee waved play on, with no VAR intervention. After the match, FC Porto president André Villas-Boas harshly criticized the referee’s performance and said different decisions should have been made in both incidents.

“I think Pavlidis’ aggression was more serious than the penalty on Deniz Gul. The penalty has to be judged, VAR has to call the referee over, and I regret that it didn’t. Pavlidis’ aggression is serious and FC Porto will file a complaint over that aggression. It was violent, it could have caused more damage to our player, VAR has to intervene,” the Porto official said at the time.

Now, Miguel Nogueira returns to the Dragão to officiate another duel between FC Porto and Benfica, this time with three points at stake and in a context of great importance for both teams. It is worth noting that the referee has never officiated a defeat for any of the Big Three. He has taken charge of nine Benfica matches, with six wins and three draws for the Eagles. In 11 Porto matches, there were seven wins and four draws for the Dragons.

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