FC Porto vs Benfica
, KO: 20:15 Oct 21, 2022, Estadio do Dragao
It is second against first as FC Porto host Benfica in a Friday night Primeira Liga fixture. These are two of the most in-form sides in Portugal at the moment and are separated by just three points.
Porto have dominated the Primeira Liga in recent years but find themselves in the unfamiliar position of playing catch-up to Benfica this season. They have lost just once this term and are currently three points off the pace.
The defending champions have been near perfect lately and head into Friday’s clash off the back of five straight wins across all competitions. They claimed a 2-0 victory over Portimonense in their previous Primeira Liga fixture and warmed up for the visit of Benfica with a 6-0 thrashing of Anadia in the Taca de Portugal.
Porto may be playing second fiddle to Benfica this season but the Estadio Do Dragao has remained a fortress. Sergio Conceicao’s men are currently unbeaten in their last 36 matches at home, a run stretching back to October 2020.
It has been a blistering start to the season for Benfica, who are unbeaten in all competitions so far. They are on the verge of progressing to the knockout phase of the Champions League and are three points clear at the top of the Primeira Liga.
Although Benfica are still unbeaten this season, they have looked slightly off colour in recent weeks. Roger Schmidt’s men have drawn four of their last five matches and needed penalties to overcome Liga 3 side Caldas last time out in the Taca de Portugal.
One positive for Benfica is that they are still solid on their travels with four wins from their last five away matches. However, they were held to a 0-0 draw by Vitoria Guimaraes in their previous Primeira Liga fixture on the road.
How the bookies view it
FC Porto have the edge among the bookies with a home win pegged at 11/8 by Paddy Power. A victory for Benfica is valued at 21/10 by bet365 while a draw is set at odds of 40/17 by SBK.
Recent head to head
Porto have the upper hand in recent meetings with Benfica and won all three fixtures between both teams last term. They claimed a 3-1 victory in the last clash at the Estadio Do Dragao.
Players to watch
While Porto have plenty of attacking quality, it is their backline that has caught the eye this season. They have kept clean sheets in their last four matches and centre-backs David Carmo and Fabio Cardoso can lead them to a similar outcome at 9/4 with bet365.
Benfica have also impressed defensively this season and are yet to concede a goal away from home in the Primeira Liga. Antonio Silva and Nicolas Otamendi should continue at centre-back and can lead the visitors to another clean sheet at 3/1 with BoyleSports.
Anything else catch the eye?
Porto and Benfica have the best defences in the Primeira Liga this season, making under 2.5 a real possibility at 19/20 with bet365. With both teams often keeping clean sheets, BTTS NO could also be on the cards at 5/4 with Unibet.
Both teams battled to a halftime draw in their last meeting and could be set for a repeat at 6/5 with bet365.
This match between FC Porto and Benfica will be played on Oct 21, 2022 and kick off at 20:15. Check below for our tipsters best FC Porto vs Benfica prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
