Preview: Moreirense vs Benfica - prediction, team news, lineups

Benfica could climb as high as second in the early-season Primeira Liga table as they travel to Moreirense for their rescheduled matchday-three encounter on Wednesday evening.

Originally pencilled in for August 23, this fixture was pushed back due to the Eagles' continental commitments, and it arrives with the Lisbon giants in blistering form while their Moreira hosts look to dust themselves down after defeat at Porto last time out.

Match preview

Slotted between a Europa League playoff double-header, Benfica's matchday-three postponement has done little to disrupt their momentum, with the Eagles making the most of the extra time by securing passage to the continental group stage after beating AGF Aarhus 3-1 in both legs.

Those victories form part of a five-match winning streak that also includes league triumphs over Casa Pia (7-0) and Estoril Praia (2-1), preceding last weekend's 3-0 thumping of newly promoted Maritimo, courtesy of a Leandro Barreiro brace and a late Gianluca Prestianni strike.

Benfica have now collected 10 points from their opening four top-flight fixtures this season despite beginning the campaign with a disappointing draw against newly promoted Academico de Viseu, while their recent form suggests that Marco Silva's side have found their rhythm.

Appointed this summer following the departure of Jose Mourinho to Real Madrid, Silva's brief is to steer the Lisbon giants to a first Primeira Liga crown since 2022-23 after a third-placed finish last term, and the Reds can be confident of extending their winning run on Wednesday given their recent dominance in this fixture.

The Eagles have won each of their last three meetings with Moreirense, scoring at least three times on every occasion, with last season's two encounters producing an 8-1 aggregate scoreline that included a 4-0 thumping at Parque de Jogos Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas back in December.

Moreirense have failed to win any of their previous 15 home league matches against Benfica (D3, L12), although recent encounters at their Moreira ground have been less one-sided than that overall record suggests, given hosts have picked up points in three of the last five league meetings between the sides there.

That being said, a stop-start opening to the current campaign has left Vasco Botelho da Costa's side with just four points from their first four fixtures, as spirited results have been undone by costly defeats.

The Green and Whites began with a creditable draw against Braga before suffering a matchday-two thumping at Arouca, and while the Moreira club claimed their first win of the season at Casa Pia in round four, last Friday's trip to defending champions Porto proved a bridge too far.

Dinis Pinto gave Moreirense the lead in the 20th minute, but they left the Estadio do Dragao empty-handed, having suffered a 2-1 defeat after conceding a 37th-minute header from Jan Bednarek and a second-half strike from William Gomes, leaving Os verdes e brancos 13th in the early-season standings.

Last term's impressive seventh-place finish was underpinned by a solid record at the Parque de Jogos, where Moreirense collected 27 of their total 43 points, so the hosts will hope that home comforts count for something on Wednesday as they look to avoid a first successive league defeat since losing three on the spin between mid-March and early April last season.

Moreirense Primeira Liga form:

Benfica Primeira Liga form:

Benfica form (all competitions):

Team News

Moreirense appear to have a clean bill of health but will be without Guilherme Liberato, who was shown a late red card at Porto last Friday, so Mateja Stjepanovic is expected to fill the void in defensive midfield.

The Green and Whites' last two goals have both come from defenders, with none of their recognised forwards finding the net so far this term, something Botelho da Costa will be keen to address, though he is likely to keep faith with Alexandre Duville-Parsemain to lead the line once again.

Meanwhile, Benfica's victory at Maritimo came at a cost, with Alexander Bah forced off in the first half after suffering an injury to his right arm, leaving him a doubt for Wednesday's trip.

With Amar Dedic no longer on the books, Silva faces a selection headache at right-back, although youth prospect Daniel Banjaqui could be handed the opportunity to stake his claim.

Joao Palhinha was handed his full debut last time out and could keep his place in a double pivot alongside last weekend's two-goal hero Barreiro, while Vangelis Pavlidis is expected to lead the line once again despite drawing a blank in that encounter.

Moreirense possible starting lineup:

Ferreira; Pinto, Batista, Maracas, Kiko, Landerson; Mendonca, John, Stjepanovic, Veloso; Duville-Parsemain

Benfica possible starting lineup:

Soares; Banjaqui, Araujo, Lenglet, Dahl; Palhinha, Barreiro; R Silva, Sudakov, Prestianni; Pavlidis

We say: Moreirense 1-3 Benfica

Moreirense will head into this one with renewed belief after pushing defending champions Porto to the limit last Friday, while a return to the Parque de Jogos should only add to that confidence.

Benfica, however, may prove a step too far given the visitors' explosive form, and we are backing the Eagles to come away with a comfortable victory.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.