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Benfica
Primeira Liga | Gameweek 18
Feb 8, 2021 at 7pm UK
Estádio da Luz
Famalicao logo

Benfica
2 - 0
Famalicao

Nunez (3'), Otamendi (7')
Taarabt (56'), Otamendi (72'), Gilberto (87')
FT(HT: 2-0)

Babic (29'), Vinagre (58')

Preview: Benfica vs. Famalicao - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Monday's Primeira Liga clash between Benfica and Famalicao, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Benfica will be on the hunt for their first win in five Primeira Liga games on Monday, when they welcome Famalicao to the Estadio da Luz.

Their recent run has seen the Portuguese giants fall to fourth in the Primeira Liga table, sitting 11 points behind league leaders Sporting Lisbon.


Match preview

Benfica head coach Jorge Jesus pictured on November 5, 2020© Reuters

Benfica's disappointing run of form has seen them collect just three points from their last four league games, falling behind Braga as a result, while they have also lost ground on Portugal's top two sides.

Meanwhile, Jorge Jesus's side are now level on points with fifth-placed Pacos de Ferreira, who have enjoyed a quick rise up the table, having won their last six league matches.

Last time out, As Aguias were held to a 0-0 draw by Vitoria de Guimaraes, in a game where Jesus's men dominated, but could not find an important winning goal.

That followed a narrow 1-0 loss away at leaders Sporting Lisbon, with the game looking set to finish 0-0 until Matheus Nunes snatched all three points for the hosts with a goal in added time.

Although their league form has been concerning, the 37-time Primeira Liga champions will be encouraged by their recent cup victory, when they secured their place in the final four of the Taca de Portugal with a convincing 3-0 win over Belenenses.

Darwin Nunez, Rafa Silva and Franco Cervi all got on the scoresheet in a strong Benfica performance, which should give them confidence going into Monday's game, when they take on another side struggling at the bottom of the Primeira Liga.

Benfica's Darwin Nunez celebrates with a teammate after scoring against Rangers on November 5, 2020© Reuters

Famalicao come into this game with the hope of escaping the division's relegation zone, currently sitting 17th.

Although they occupy a spot in the bottom two, they do remain only one point adrift of automatic safety, with 15th-placed Portimonense within touching distance for Silas's side.

Despite that, Fama come into this game in a worrying patch of form, having lost six of their last seven Primeira Liga matches.

That run has seen them fall into the automatic relegation zone, a noticeable regression from last season, when they finished sixth in the top flight in their first season following promotion from the Segunda Liga.

Joao Pedro Sousa, who took the side so close to European qualification last season, failed to repeat those heroics this campaign, and he was sacked at the end of January.

The Famalicao board then made the decision to bring in former Sporting Lisbon manager Silas, in an attempt to avoid relegation back to the second tier.

Last time out, in Silas's first game in charge, they fell to a 2-0 defeat at home to Moreirense, after Riccieli scored an own goal, followed by a Yan strike before half time.

The Portuguese manager will be hoping that his side can turn their form around with a win in this game, which could see them move out of the automatic relegation zone.

Benfica Primeira Liga form: DWDDLD
Benfica form (all competitions): DLDWLD

Famalicao Primeira Liga form: LLWLLL


Team News

Benfica's Haris Seferovic celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates in January 2021© Reuters

Benfica have been boosted in the last two games by the return of Nicolas Otamendi, who previously spent time out of the squad with COVID-19. The Argentinian has been a crucial part of one of the Primeira Liga's best defences this season, alongside the experienced Jan Vertonghen.

However, they do still have issues at the back, with Jardel unavailable through injury, joining full-back Andre Almeida, who remains out of contention with a ligament rupture, on the sidelines.

Jesus did take action to add to his defensive ranks by bringing in Lucas Verissimo, who joined in a January transfer from Brazilian club Santos.

Worryingly for the hosts, they are expected to remain without attacker Luca Waldschmidt, who has missed their last two matches with an injury. The German has starred for As Aguias so far this campaign, recording six goals and two assists in the league.

They could also be missing creative midfielder Rafa Silva, who missed the Vitoria match with a knee issue, with forward Darwin Nunez likely to come back into the starting team to boost their attacking threat.

Silas should have a full squad to pick from, apart from injured attacker Leonardo Campana, who has only featured six times for Famalicao in league action this season.

Manuel Ugarte will start in the engine room again for the visitors, after Famalicao broke their transfer record to bring the young midfielder in from CA Fenix in the January transfer window.

They have had to deal with a major loss in January, with attacking midfielder Ruben Lameiras moving to Vitoria, while they received forward Alexandre Guedes on loan in that deal.

The visitors will also be without forward Jhonata Robert, after the Brazilian was shown a red card late on in the recent loss to Moreirense.

Benfica possible starting lineup:
Vlachodimos; Gilberto, Otamendi, Vertonghen, Grimaldo; Everton, Weigl, Taarabt, Pizzi; Nunez, Seferovic

Famalicao possible starting lineup:
Junior; Figueiras, Junior, Patrick, Babic, Vinagre; Lukovic, Ugarte, Kraev; Anderson, Guedes


SM words green background

We say: Benfica 1-0 Famalicao

Although they come into the game lacking form, we expect Benfica to get a win here, taking on a side lacking quality.

As Aguias' defence should comfortably deal with Famalicao, while we see Haris Seferovic getting on the scoresheet for the home side, firing them to an important win.


Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data



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Written by
Sam Varley

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Benfica win with a probability of 74.29%. A draw had a probability of 16% and a win for Famalicao had a probability of 9.74%.

The most likely scoreline for a Benfica win was 2-0 with a probability of 12.06%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (9.88%) and 3-0 (9.82%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (7.57%), while for a Famalicao win it was 0-1 (3.1%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 12.1% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 2-0 win for Benfica in this match.


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Game History

How you voted: Benfica vs Famalicao

Benfica
93.7%
Draw
4.2%
Famalicao
2.1%
95
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rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sporting Lisbon14120243103336
2Benfica1310213282432
3Porto1310123192231
4Santa ClaraSanta Clara149051613327
5Braga137332213924
6Vitoria de GuimaraesGuimaraes136341612421
7MoreirenseMoreirense146261919020
8FamalicaoFamalicao134631412218
9Casa Pia144551317-417
10Gil Vicente144461724-716
11Rio AveRio Ave134361323-1015
12Estoril PraiaEstoril143561221-914
13Nacional13337817-912
14Estrela Amadora133371222-1012
15AVS142661122-1112
16BoavistaBoavista142571019-911
17AroucaArouca14329823-1511
18SC FarenseFarense14239720-139


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