Referee for Benfica v Sporting? Pundits name the 'favourite' | OneFootball

One of the most frequently asked questions this week is simple: who will be chosen as the referee for Benfica vs Sporting? Although the decision has not yet been announced, Jorge Faustino and Marco Ferreira believe there is a favorite among four possible candidates.

The refereeing experts told the newspaper Record that João Pinheiro is expected to be appointed as the referee for the eternal derby: “All the international referees are eligible, but if we look at the management that is done – and the appointments for these matches are made some time in advance – I see four possible referees, three of whom officiated Second League matches this round: João Gonçalves, Luís Godinho, and António Nobre. João Pinheiro also served as the fourth official in the Second League,” Jorge Faustino began by saying.

“António Nobre did not have a particularly successful match this weekend, João Gonçalves has already refereed a classic this season, and Luís Godinho officiated the Portuguese Cup final. It might be too soon to appoint him, I would bet on João Pinheiro, who is in great form, having officiated two Champions League matches and a World Cup qualifier just this month. But it will be one of these four,” he added.

For his part, Marco Ferreira ends up agreeing with the analysis and also puts forward the name of the AF Braga referee as the main candidate: “There is no other alternative for this match. It should be João Pinheiro, even though this Refereeing Council has been appointing ‘new’ international referees for the most important matches. The importance of the match, the negative performances of some referees, and the tense atmosphere don’t leave much room to take risks again.”

Sporting will return to the pitch next Friday, December 5, against Benfica. The match, part of the 13th round of the Liga Portugal Betclic, against the team led by José Mourinho, will be played at 8:15 PM at Estádio da Luz.

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