Two of the giants of Portuguese football -- Porto and Benfica -- renew their historic rivalry on Saturday during their maiden clash of 2017 at the Portuguese League (Liga NOS). Both sides occupy the top two positions in the domestic league table at the moment.
The high-intensity match at the Estádio da Luz is absolutely sold out.
With Sporting CP almost but struggling to find their feet in the Portuguese league owing to the strong competition from Porto and Benfica, it looks like the battle for the title is just between these two sides.
While Benfica rule the roost with 64 points from 26 matches so far, Porto are second in the league with 63 points from 26 games.
"Benfica is a difficult opponent, a good team, with continuous playstyles throughout the seasons, with good individual talents," mentioned Porto coach Nuno Espirito Santo. The standout name in the Porto lineup remains Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas. But can the Spain goalkeeper thwart the Benfica attacks on Saturday?
"I want an 'inferno' created in the stadium in a positive sense, with plenty of noise, enthusiasm and joy," Benfica coach Rui Vitória said. "I know my team's in good shape, with a huge desire to go out there and win the game. It's an important game but it won't decide the title. I believe the title will only be decided at the end (of the season)."
QUICK FACT: Porto and Lisbon are the wealthiest cities in Portugal and their football rivalry has been referred to as the O Clássico.
Expected starting XI
Benfica: Ederson, Semedo, Luisão, Lindelöf, Eliseu, Salvio, Fejsa, Pizzi, Zivkovic, Jonas, Mitroglou.
Porto: Casillas, Maxi Pereira, Felipe, Marcano, Alex Telles, Danilo, André André, Óliver Torres, Brahimi, Soares, André Silva.
Match schedule
Date: April 1
Time: 7:30 pm GMT (1 am IST [Sunday])
Venue: Estadio da Luz, Benfica
Where to watch
UK: TV - BT Sport ESPN. Live stream - BT Sport Live.
Portugal: TV - Benfica TV. Live stream - BTV 1 online.
US: TV - fubo TV.
India: No telecast.
Live score: Twitter.
