Two clubs in the top half of the Primeira Liga table will do battle today in a league match between Benfica and FC Porto. O Classico scheduled for 12 p.m. ET will be held at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon and can be live streamed here (requires free trial registration).
What They're Saying
Benfica left-back Eliseu (via Portugoal.net): "We're in this together and we're prepared for everything. Sunday is one of our most decisive days on the road to No. 34."
FC Porto winger Ricardo Quaresma: "Our motivation will overcome our tiredness. We have to go to the Luz and win if we want to win something this season."
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Ricardo Quaresma nearly played hero for Porto in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Despite a 7-4 aggregate loss to Bayern Munich, the 31-year-old finished his Champions League campaign with three goals and an average of nearly one key pass (0.9).
Benfica's Projected Lineup (4-4-2): Júlio César, Maxi Pereira, Luisão, Jardel, Eliseu, Samaris, Amorim, Pizzi, Gaitán, Jonas, Lima
FC Porto's Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Fabiano, Danilo, Maicon, Marcano, Alex Sandro, Casemiro, Herrera, Olíver Torres, Brahimi, Quaresma, Jackson Martínez
League Table
| Rnk | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benfica | 29 | 24 | 2 | 3 | 73 | 15 | 58 | 74 | |||
| 2 | FC Porto | 29 | 22 | 5 | 2 | 67 | 12 | 55 | 71 | |||
| 3 | Sporting CP | 29 | 18 | 9 | 2 | 55 | 26 | 29 | 63 | |||
| 4 | Sporting Braga | 30 | 16 | 6 | 8 | 46 | 19 | 27 | 54 | |||
| 5 | Vitória Guimarães | 30 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 42 | 31 | 11 | 47 | |||
| 6 | Belenenses | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 29 | 30 | -1 | 43 | |||
| 7 | Rio Ave FC | 30 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 35 | 36 | -1 | 39 | |||
| 8 | FC Paços de Ferreira | 29 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 32 | 37 | -5 | 39 | |||
| 9 | CS Marítimo | 30 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 37 | 39 | -2 | 37 | |||
| 10 | CD Nacional | 29 | 10 | 7 | 12 | 37 | 42 | -5 | 37 | |||
| 11 | Moreirense | 29 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 25 | 32 | -7 | 36 | |||
| 12 | GD Estoril Praia | 30 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 34 | 52 | -18 | 35 | |||
| 13 | Boavista FC | 29 | 8 | 5 | 16 | 24 | 46 | -22 | 29 | |||
| 14 | Académica Coimbra | 30 | 4 | 15 | 11 | 21 | 38 | -17 | 27 | |||
| 15 | Arouca | 29 | 7 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 42 | -20 | 26 | |||
| 16 | Vitória Setúbal | 29 | 6 | 7 | 16 | 21 | 45 | -24 | 25 | |||
| 17 | Gil Vicente FC | 30 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 24 | 49 | -25 | 23 | |||
| 18 | FC Penafiel | 29 | 4 | 6 | 19 | 27 | 60 | -33 | 18 |
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (lineups and statistics via WhoScored).
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