Second place twist, in their hands: Sporting and Benfica | OneFootball

The final round of the Liga Portugal Betclic promises strong emotions in the battle for 2nd place. With Sporting’s 4-1 win over Rio Ave in Vila do Conde, and Benfica’s draw against Braga, the Lions moved up to second place and go into the last round with a two-point lead over the Eagles.

The equation for Champions League qualification has therefore become quite clear. Sporting depend only on themselves and will secure 2nd place if they beat Gil Vicente at Alvalade. Sporting’s home record strengthens that confidence: in 24 home league matches, the green and whites have recorded 21 wins, two draws, and just one defeat.

Even a draw, or even a loss, could be enough for Rui Borges’s side, as long as Benfica fail to win away at Estoril. Even so, historically, Benfica have posted very positive numbers at Amoreira, where they have won 23 of their 30 league matches.

On Benfica’s side, the scenario is simple and leaves no room for error: only victory matters. José Mourinho’s team must beat Estoril and hope that Sporting do not beat Gil Vicente in order to reclaim 2nd place in the standings.

Besides sporting prestige, a huge financial reward is also at stake. Qualification for the Champions League could even be direct if Aston Villa win the Europa League and finish the Premier League in the top four. At the moment, the English side are in 5th place, level on points with 4th-placed Liverpool, keeping that scenario completely open.

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