Goals and assists: in the European top before the clássico in the Cup

The first of two "clássicos" in one week is Thursday, December 23 at 8:45 pm at Estádio do Dragão. Benfica and FC Porto fight for the qualification for the quarterfinals of the Portuguese Cup. The eagles arrive at this match as the best attack of the Liga Bwin and with the top scorer and the top assist provider, a high-level record in European football.

The two rivals are on the back of a rout. At Estádio da Luz, Benfica hosted and beat Marítimo by 7-1; FC Porto won away at Vizela by 0-4.

In all, SL Benfica and FC Porto have officially met 247 times, 36 of them for the Portuguese Cup, a competition where the Reds have the upper hand over the Dragons. Benfica has a total of 21 victories (58%) against 10 (28%) of the rival. The clash ended in a draw on five occasions.

Benfica is also ahead in goals in the Portuguese Cup statistics, with 75 goals (2.08) compared to 43 for the Blue and Whites (1.19) in 36 matches.

In the current edition of the Portuguese Cup, Benfica, the club with the most trophies (26), scored six goals and conceded two, seeing off Trofense (1-2, after extra-time) and Paços de Ferreira (4-1), and Everton is the top scorer with two goals; FC Porto beat Sintrense (0-5) and Feirense (5-1) and Evanilson is the top scorer with three goals.

Europe's Top 6: Benfica as Liverpool and FC Bayern 

In the National Championship, the eagles boast the best attack, the top scorer, and the top assist provider. At this point in the season, only Liverpool and FC Bayern keep up with Benfica on this record.

In the Liga Bwin, Benfica has already scored 46 goals (3,07 per game) and has eight more goals than the closest pursuer in this item, FC Porto, with 38 goals. The forward Darwin, with 13 goals in 13 matches played,  leads the list of top scorers, and the Uruguayan is going through a great moment of form, with 18 goals in 23 matches in all competitions. 

Rafa has been in a prominent plan in 2021/22. With 13 assists – the best record in his career–, the attacker is the king of assists in the Liga Bwin and among the six top leagues of the Old Continent, as he needed only 14 games to reach this mark.

In England, Liverpool, coached by Jürgen Klopp, has the best attack of the Premier League, with 50 goals (2,78 per encounter), and Salah is the team's standout performer with 15 goals (top scorer of the competition) and nine assists (top assist provider). In the Bundesliga, FC Bayern leads the standings and is also the team with the most goals scored: 56 (4.31 per match). Moreover, it has the competition's top scorer, Lewandowski, with 19 goals, as well as the top assist provider, Thomas Müller, with 13.

Looking, furthermore, at the statistics of the footballers of these three teams concerning their direct influence on goals -– goals and assists –, we see that Rafa is only surpassed by the Egyptian Salah (Liverpool), who had a direct influence on 23 of the Reds' 50 goals. The Benfica attacker has had a hand in 20 goals from the eagles – 13 assists and seven goals–, a record that is matched by FC Bayern, through Lewandowski, but the Polish striker has played more matches: 17.