Liga Betclic: Famalicão-Benfica X-ray

At 8:30 pm this Sunday, May 5, Benfica visits Famalicão, on matchday 32 of the Liga Betclic. The Eagles come into their penultimate match of the season on the back of three consecutive wins in the competition and with an average of three goals per 90 minutes in that run.

The victories achieved on the two occasions the teams crossed paths this season (3-0, in the reverse fixture, and 2-0, in the 4th round of the Portuguese Cup) proved to be faithful to the reds' favorable record in the duels between the two teams. In 21 league matches against the Minhotos, the Eagles have recorded 17 wins and three draws, and in the 10 away games they have won seven.

Currently 8th in the Liga Betclic, Famalicão is going through a period of form that contrasts with Benfica's, coming into this Sunday's game on the back of four consecutive games without a win (two defeats and two draws).

The Eagles go into this match with 71 goals scored, compared to 33 for Famalicenses. The figures provided by the Wyscout platform help to decode the differences between the two teams in terms of offense.

With only 28.4% of their shots on target, Famalicão are the team in the league with the lowest efficiency rate in this parameter, while the Eagles are at the opposite end of the spectrum, not only in terms of shots on target (41.6%), but also in terms of the total number of attempts: 506.

The ball possession figures, with 58.1% for Benfica and 48.9% for Famalicão, show two teams that are proactive and comfortable with the ball at their feet. This trend is amplified by the top positions occupied by the eagles and minhotos in the parameters of total passes (16,984 and 11,021) and their effectiveness (86.8% and 82.6%).

With 25 goals conceded against Famalicão's 39, Benfica has the best defense in the Liga Betclic at the start of matchday 32, but it is outdone in terms of defensive duels won (61.5% against 59.9%) by the Minhotos, whose percentage is the best among the 18 teams competing in the Championship.

In aerial duels won, the team now coached by Armando Evangelista has a record of 48.9% (against 45.9% for the Reds), with the particularity that striker Jhonder Cádiz is the player with the most headers (32) of all the players in the league: seven of his 15 goals in the competition have been headed.

If the Venezuelan international is Famalicão's most influential player in the league, Rafa has a similar status at Benfica. The fourth most used player (2360') by Roger Schmidt in the competition - behind Aursnes, Otamendi and António Silva - the No 27 leads the Reds in goals (12) and assists (11), followed in both by Di María (eight and 10 respectively).

In the 3-1 win over Braga on matchday 31, Roger Schmidt fielded an eleven made up of Trubin, Bah, António Silva, Otamendi, Aursnes, Florentino, João Mário, Di María, Neres, Rafa and Arthur Cabral.

Armando Evangelista opted for a 4x2x3x1 with Luiz Júnior, Nathan, Riccieli, Mihaj, Moura, Zaydou Youssouf, Topic, Puma Rodríguez, Aranda, Chiquinho and Jhonder Cádiz in the 1-0 defeat against Estoril.