Vitoria SC vs Benfica Prediction, Preview, Predicted Lineups and Team News | Liga Portugal

Vitoria SC vs Benfica Preview

• Tournament: Liga Portugal
• Venue: Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques
• Date: 20th April

• Kick-off Time: 07:30 AM GST

  Vitoria SC vs Benfica is set to take place at Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques on 20th April in a Liga Portugal fixture. The hosts have been hovering around 5th and 6th place for quite some years, signifying that they are better than the bottom and mid-table teams ,but just not enough to get into the top four. Even currently Vitoria SC are in 5th place with 48 points, winning 12 games, drawing 12 games and losing five games.

  The gap in points for the fourth spot is 11 points since Porto are in fourth place with 59 points. Nonetheless, Vitoria SC have five games left as the season comes to an end to possibly get a top-four finish, even though it is very unlikely. Their form in the last five league games has been incredible, though, drawing one game and winning five games.

  Benfica, on the other hand, are in a closely contested title race with Sporting CP. Sporting are in first place with 69 points, with a higher goal difference, whereas Benfica are in second place with 69 points as well, with a lesser goal difference.

  Benfica lost out on their title defence last season to Sporting, since they finished second with 80 points and Sporting finished first with 90. However, they have done well to put themselves back in the mix this season, and their impeccable unbeaten run in the last 11 league games is a testament to that statement.

Vitoria SC vs Benfica Team News

Vitoria SC Team News

The hosts have no reported injuries as such and manager Luis Freire has a fully fit squad to choose from. He is likely to field a similar line-up which he did in a 1-0 win against Gil Vicente in their previous Liga Portugal fixture on 12th April.

Benfica Team News

Benfica have quite some injuries piled up as they enter a crucial stage of the season contesting closely with Sporting CP to win the title. The confirmed long term absentees are Alexander Bah and Manu Silva both of whom are recovering from a cruciate ligament tear. Renato Sanches is also recovering from a muscle injury which he picked up in late March and is expected to return in a few weeks but is set to miss the match against Vitoria SC.

Vitoria SC vs Benfica Predicted Lineups

Vitoria SC Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Varela

Defenders: Mendes, Relvas, Borevkovic, Maga

Midfielders: Handel, Samu

Forwards: Felix, J. Mendes, Arcanjo, Silva

Benfica Predicted Lineup (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Trubin

Defenders: Araujo, Silva, Otamendi, Carreras

Midfielders: Aursnes, Luis, Kokcu

Forwards: Di Maria, Pavlidis, Akturkoglu

Vitoria SC vs Benfica H2H Record

Vitoria SC and Benfica have faced each other 144 times in their history with Benfica dominating the record winning 111 matches whereas Vitoria have won only 21 matches.

Key Players To Watch In Vitoria SC vs Benfica

Gustavo Silva (Vitoria SC)

The Brazilian forward is a new arrival at Vitoria SC, who initially disappointed the fans due to his persistent muscle injury. However, Silva picked up pace and did not lose his consistency despite his injury record this season. Silva has scored six goals in 15 Liga Portugal games this season and has three goals and one assist in the UEFA Conference League as well.

Vangelis Pavlidis (Benfica)

The Greek international is a new arrival at Benfica and has had one of the best, if not the best, seasons in his career already. Pavlidis has scored 25 goals and has 10 assists to his name in 47 appearances for Benfica across all competitions this season.

This includes a stunning UEFA Champions League campaign as well, in which he scored seven goals and had three assists in 12 appearances. Pavlidis has scored against big teams this season, namely a hat-trick against FC Barcelona in the UCL League stage, a goal against Juventus in the UCL league stage, and another hat-trick against Porto two weeks ago.

Vitoria SC vs Benfica Prediction

Although Vitoria SC are doing well since the last few seasons and this season as well they are not quite as good as the elite teams in Liga Portugal namely Benfica, Porto and Sporting CP. These teams are capable of putting up a decent fight against big European clubs in the UEFA Champions League. Vitoria's winless record against Benfica since 2017 is also another factor and it all will likely sum upto a Benfica victory.

Predicted Score: Vitoria SC 1-3 Benfica

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