Liga Betclic: Benfica-Moreirense X-ray

In Benfica's first clash at Estádio da Luz in February, Moreirense is the Eagles' opponent in the game from matchday 21 of the Liga Betclic, scheduled for Saturday, February 8, at 6 pm.

The second-placed Reds meet the 11th-placed team in the league, who are going through their worst phase of the season. The Minho side, coached by César Peixoto, haven't won in 8 games, between the league and the Portuguese Cup (5 defeats and 3 draws).

Benfica beat Estrela da Amadora in the last round (2-3) and have one of the best attacks and defenses in the competition (46 goals scored and 16 conceded). The Eagles' next opponents have scored half as many goals (23) and conceded 28 in the previous 20 rounds.

The history of matches shows favorable numbers for Benfica. In 35 games, the Eagles have won 24 and drawn 9. Restricting the analysis to the league, in 27 matches, Benfica have won 19 and drawn 7. The Eagles have scored 56 goals and conceded 21.

At home, the Red and Whites remain dominant: 8 wins (62%) and 4 draws (31%) in 13 games, with 25 goals scored (1.92 per game) and 11 conceded (0.85 per game).

In collective terms, Bruno Lage's men have an average of 59.6% possession, while Moreirense have 48.1%. The Eagles have a pass efficiency of 85%, while Moreirense's is 80.2%.

With an appetite for the opposite goal, Benfica are one of the teams with the most shots, with an average of 16.8, 6.6 of which are on target. Moreira de Cónegos have worse figures: 10.3 and 3.8 respectively.

The Eagles are the best team when it comes to the average number of successful crosses (6.1), in contrast to Moreirense, who are only 15th in this regard, with 3.4. Benfica lead the way when it comes to accurate long balls, with 27.3 per game compared to 16.5 for their next opponents. The data comes from the Sofascore platform.

Benfica also outperform their rivals in corners (7.4) and successful dribbles (9.2), compared to 3.2 and 7.9 for their opponents, respectively.

Defensively, the Reds have the highest number of clearances per game (19.3) compared to Moreirense's average of 16.6, 7th in this parameter. At the Cathedral, Benfica will face the 4th team with the most fouls committed in the league (an average of 15 offenses per game compared to 11.1 for the Eagles).

In terms of interceptions, Benfica have an average of 9.3 compared to 8.3 for the Minho side. The trend in favor of the eagles is reflected in the number of successful aerial duels per game (57.7% to 47.5%), while in duels won on the ground, the Cónegos have a better rate (49.7% to 51.7%).

On an individual level, the eagles have Di María (7 goals) and Aktürkoğlu (6) as their top scorers - newcomer Bruma also scored 7 goals in the Liga Betclic, but for SC Braga - and the Turkish forward is the Benfica player with the most assists (5).

The same players play a leading role in other actions. The World Cup winner for Argentina is the player with the most shots per game (2.9), and Aktürkoğlu has the most shots on target (1.1).

In terms of big chances created, Di María and Aktürkoğlu are also among the best in the league with 10 and 9 respectively. In terms of key passes per game, Di María and Kökcü both have an average of 2.2 and are in the top 3 for this indicator.

At Moreirense, Asué is the top scorer with 5 goals and Alan has the most assists (3).

For Benfica's defensive balance, Florentino and Bah are the players with the most cuts (49). Ismael stands out the most for Moreirense and in the competition (58). In interceptions, the same player from the Cónegos has 31, compared to 36 for Otamendi, the runner-up in this parameter and also the eagle with the most accurate passes (1024).