Liga Bwin: X-ray of the Benfica-Sporting match

Derby Sunday at Estádio da Luz. Benfica and Sporting face each othe on matchday 16 of the Liga Bwin, at 6 pm. It will be the 315th official match between the two clubs.

The two formations come into this match in different moments of form. Benfica comes from two win – Portimonense (1-0) and Varzim (0-2) –, with the victory in Póvoa guaranteeing the ticket to the quarterfinals of the Portuguese Cup; Sporting lost in the trip to Madeira in the previous round of the Liga Bwin.

At the top of the league table with 40 points, the eagles are the team with the most wins in the competition (13), the best attack (38 goals scored), and the best defense, with 10 goals conceded. The green and whites are in 4th place in the Liga Bwin (28 points), with nine wins, 29 goals scored and 16 conceded.

The derby that will take place in the Cathedral will be the 315th official match between the two clubs, whose record is favorable to the reds, with 137 wins (44%) against the rival's 112 (36%). A draw was the result on 65 occasions.

In the middle of the week, on Tuesday (January 10), Benfica went to Póvoa de Varzim to beat Varzim, by 0-2, in the round of 16 of the Portuguese Cup. With some changes compared to the most used eleven in 2022/23, Roger Schmidt launched Odysseas, Bah, Lucas Veríssimo, Morato, Grimaldo, Enzo, Chiquinho, Aursnes, Neres, Draxler and Gonçalo Ramos.

On the other side, the team coached by Rúben Amorim, with more rest days (they played on January 8), played in 3x5x2 against Marítimo (1-0 loss) with Adán, Gonçalo Inácio, Coates, Matheus Reis, Ugarte, Mateus Fernandes, Pedro Porro, Arthur Gomes, Trincão, Marcus Edwards and Paulinho.

In the Liga Bwin, Benfica (with a 12-point lead over the rival) e Sporting are the two teams with more possession (64.7% against 63.4%), more crosses (344 against 323), more corner kicks (eight per game against six), fewer shots conceded (87 against 113), more passes (9378 against 8279) and more passes into the final third (1138 against 997).

The Wyscout platform also shows us that there are other statistical areas in which Benfica leads, leaving the lions further behind. The Reds have 262 shots (16 per game) against the Green and Whites' 224 (14 per game); they have more touches in the opposing box: 412 (25 per game) against 366 (22 every 90 minutes); and they have more passes to depth: 165 against 145. Sporting, in turn, excels in one-on-one and dribbling, with 544 (33 per match) against Benfica's 422 (26 per match).