- Sporting Clube de Portugal are unbeaten in five Primeira Liga games, winning four and drawing one.
- SL Benfica are also unbeaten in their last five league games, winning three and drawing two.
- The last five head-to-head meetings between these sides have produced two Benfica wins, one Sporting CP victory, and two draws (most recently a 1-1 draw at Benfica's ground four months ago).
Derby de Lisboa should be a thrilling, open contest
Sporting Clube de Portugal and SL Benfica will be going at it again in Lisbon’s Derby de Lisboa on Sunday and the momentum and bragging rights for the capital are on the line as well as the title race and the points for the top-two teams in the Primeira Liga.
The Lions sit second in the table with 71 points from 28 games while the Eagles are third on 69 after 29 games, which shows how close the battle for the title has been for these cross-city rivals in 2025-26. Rui Borges took over Sporting in December 2024 and has got his side playing a proactive, attack-minded brand of footy. They have won three in a row coming into this game and beat Santa Clara 4-2 at home and Estrela Amadora 1-0 away in their most recent league outings.
Jose Mourinho’s side are also unbeaten in their last five, including a 2-0 home win over Nacional and a 1-1 draw at Casa Pia AC. The Special One took over Benfica in September 2025 and has instilled a disciplined defensive structure and measured tempo to the squad that plays with his usual 4-2-3-1 system. The Eagles are solid, compact and rarely get caught out of position while their smart pressing is selective and targets areas of the pitch where they can win the ball back quickly to make forward transitions or set up counter-attacks.
Sporting should edge derby with home advantage
Mourinho’s men are an efficient side when it comes to scoring goals from set-piece play and quick breaks, but Sporting are a lot more adventurous in their style of play and are very adept at getting into transition themselves. Borges’ men are a well-balanced side with a strong No.10 and good width, with their wide players rotating to create overloads regularly.
Luis Suarez has scored 24 goals in 26 Primeira Liga appearances and is a constant threat to any defence that the Lions face, but Gianluca Prestianni is also a talented finisher in the number ten role and has chipped in with three assists and nine goals in the last five.
Sporting have conceded only six goals in 13 home league games, an average of 0.46 goals per game, but we fancy Benfica to grab a goal in this derby.
The home side are slight favourites to win this match at 2.19, which is fair enough as home advantage and momentum are on their side, although they have not beaten Benfica in their last two games at the home ground and will find it tough to crack this tough defensive unit. With both teams in good form and lots of attacking talent on show, we are taking the Total Score Over 2.5 market at 1.78 and both teams to score at 1.59.
