Sporting pillar wants to be Benfica's derby terror | OneFootball

Sporting head into the derby against Benfica with all eyes on Luis Suárez, the striker who has been the Lions’ main attacking figure this season. With 33 goals in all competitions for Sporting, 24 of them in the league, he leads the race for the top scorer award and stands out as the green-and-white side’s biggest hope.

Despite the impressive numbers, one fact defines the Colombian’s current moment. The Colombian is going through his longest goal drought since arriving at Alvalade, with three consecutive games without scoring. A rare scenario for someone who has been so consistent, increasing both the pressure and the motivation for this decisive clash.

What’s more, Suárez has still not managed to score against Benfica since arriving in Portuguese football. In the Super Cup he played only a few minutes and, in the draw at the Luz, Sporting’s goal was scored by Pedro Gonçalves, leaving the 'number 97' still searching for his first decisive moment against their eternal rival.

Even so, the striker’s recent record in big games offers positive signs. He has already scored against Porto twice this season and, before joining Sporting, he earned a reputation in Spain as the "Terror of Andalusia", after an impressive season with Almería - a club linked to CR7 - where he scored 31 goals and shone in regional derbies against sides such as Granada, Betis and Sevilla, for example.

This season, wearing the Sporting shirt, Luis Suárez – valued at €28 million – has made 45 appearances: 26 in Liga Portugal Betclic, 12 in the Champions League, five in the Portuguese Cup, one in the League Cup and another in the Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup. In 3,673 minutes on the pitch, the centre-forward scored 33 goals and provided five assists.

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