Sporting CP vs Benfica Tips & Preview - Rivals looking to stay in touch

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Last updated: Fri 17 Apr 2026 14:41

Tolu Shotade 2 hours ago

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Sporting CP hosts Benfica in a crucial Lisbon Derby in Liga Portugal.
Both teams in strong form but struggle defensively, hinting at a high-scoring match.
Sporting CP have home advantage, while Benfica has shown resilience in away games.

Sporting CP vs Benfica

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It is the Lisbon Derby in the Liga Portugal as Sporting CP host Benfica, with both teams attempting to chase down leaders FC Porto.

The hosts are coming off a UEFA Champions League exit, although their overall form has been solid lately. With the visitors also looking sharp at the moment, both teams could be set to serve up a thrilling contest.

Sporting CP News

Sporting CP crashed out of the Champions League in midweek after suffering a 1-0 quarter-final aggregate defeat to Arsenal. They lost the first leg 1-0 and could only manage a 0-0 draw in the second meeting.

Smack in the middle of both results is a 1-0 victory at Estrella, which was their third straight Liga Portugal win and leaves them five points behind the leaders. They are back home on Sunday and are unbeaten in nine of their last 10 matches in front of their fans while also taking the lead at some point in all nine fixtures.

Sporting have quality going forward and have scored in nine of their last 10 home matches across all competitions, with seven of those fixtures producing over 2.5 goals. However, Rui Borges’ team have failed to keep a clean sheet in five of their last eight matches in all competitions.

Benfica News

Benfica are just two points behind Sporting CP and will be hoping for a slip-up from both frontrunners. Jose Mourinho's team claimed a 2-0 victory over Nacional in their previous Liga Portugal fixture.

That result maintains Benfica's recent good form, having gone unbeaten in eight of their last 10 matches across all competitions. They are also unbeaten in four of their last five away matches, picking up three wins in this run.

Like the hosts, Benfica have also shown some attacking quality lately, scoring in nine of their last 10 matches across all competitions. However, they have failed to keep a clean sheet in eight of their last 10 away matches, while four of the last five fixtures in this run have produced over 2.5 goals.

Head to Head

Sporting CP have seven wins while Benfica have been victorious five times, with six draws in the last 18 matches. Both teams met in the Super Cup back in July, with the visitors claiming a 1-0 victory before battling to a 1-1 home draw in the reverse fixture.

Verdict

Sporting v Benfica

Sporting CP's home form has been solid all season, and they will be keen to maintain that record. Having taken the lead at some point in nine of their last 10 matches in front of their fans, that trend is likely to continue on Sunday.

Both teams have scored in eight of the last 10 meetings, and a repeat could be on the cards here. Seven of Sporting CP's last 10 home matches have produced over 2.5 goals, which is likely to be the outcome in this one.

Sporting CP

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