Presidential run-off delays Porto v Sporting derby | OneFootball

The duel between Porto and Sporting, pertaining to the 21st round of the Liga Betclic, is expected to take place on a Monday, February 9th, one day after the potential second round of the presidential elections. The date is expected to be formalized at the next meeting of the Permanent Calendar Commission, scheduled for January 19th, in a scenario that both clubs are open to.

According to the newspaper Record, although league matches are planned for the day of the first round of elections, including a match involving the Dragons, a match of the magnitude of a Classic could generate a media conflict and exposure between events, a situation that is intended to be avoided.

This detail has a direct impact on Sporting, which faces AVS SAD on February 4th, in the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup. To comply with the minimum rest period of 72 hours between matches, the Lions could not play the classic against the Dragons on Saturday, February 7th, thus paving the way for the Monday solution.

The duel against the team led by Francesco Farioli comes at a particularly demanding moment for Sporting, which knows it can no longer afford to drop points in the title race. With the margin for error increasingly narrow, the Lions - who won the last match - approach the trip to Dragão as a true final.

Currently, the team led by Rui Borges has 45 points and remains in second place on the Liga Portugal Betclic standings. Porto (49) is in first place but has played one less game. Meanwhile, Benfica is third with 42 points.

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