Primeira Liga Jornada 11 preview: Benfica v Porto Clássico as Amorim says his final goodbye

The Portuguese football landscape has been overwhelmed by the recent news that Rúben Amorim is set to become the new manager of Manchester United. It’s a story that has dominated Portuguese media and made headlines across the world.

With Amorim set to take charge of Sporting for the final time against Braga, very little could distract the Portuguese football world from such a big story. But one game could do just that. It’s O Clássico time as Benfica and Porto face off for the first time this season, on Sunday night in Lisbon.

Albert Carter-Phillips previews Round 11 of the Primeira Liga. 

Unusual backdrop to Benfica v Porto

Both Porto and Benfica find themselves in unfamiliar, uncomfortable territory, being in the shadow of league leaders Sporting who boast comfortably the best team in the league on current form, the league’s best player in Viktor Gyökeres, and of course all the attention surrounding Amorim’s impending move to the premier league has pushed them further into the background. What is interesting however is that in normal circumstances, both teams would be having their own headline grabbing seasons.

Both clubs find themselves in a similar position with new managers at the helm, integrating a host of new signings. For Benfica the changes that Bruno Lage has brought in have been evident. Benfica have looked much more like their dominant selves than they did under Roger Schmidt, winning his first seven games in charge including a thrilling 4-0 home win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. In fact, Benfica have won every game under Lage except for two losses in European play against Feyenoord and Bayern Munich. His record in the Primeira Liga remains untarnished.

Benfica’s success under Lage has been epitomised by the form of recent signing Kerem Aktürkoğlu, the 26-year-old Turkish winger signed from Galatasaray. Aktürkoğlu was signed in the period of uncertainty between Roger Schmidt’s sacking, and Bruno Lage’s reappointment, and scored on his debut against Santa Clara (which also happened to be Lage’s first game in charge). His form has continued since then, providing 8 goal contributions in his first 7 matches. His form is just one example of a number of players who’ve shone under Lage and contributed to a turnaround in form for Benfica under their new manager.

Porto ride out big changes

Porto themselves have gone under the radar this season, with only one loss so far coming against league leaders Sporting, and having won every other league game this season, they sit just three points behind Sporting in second place. It is a great achievement given just how much of a change there has been at the club since the summer with the arrival of a new president in Andre Villas-Boas, and the arrival of Vítor Bruno as manager. In just a few short months they lost both their talismanic manager Sérgio Conceição, who in a 7-year stint as manager oversaw three Primeira Liga title triumphs, and of course the departure of president Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa, the man who had been at the helm of FC Porto for over 40 years, and was one of the most important figures in the history of Portuguese football.

In Samu Aghehowa (until recently known as Samu Omorodion), Porto have their own in-form striker, with the young Spaniard scoring 11 goals in 12 games in all competitions including a hat-trick against AVS in October. His arrival for €15M for 50% of his economic rights was seen as something of a risk at the time for an unproven young player, but his early form has only been overshadowed by the now expected brilliance of Viktor Gyökeres at Sporting. His fellow summer signing Francisco Moura has made a big impact at left back, assisting three times in the league, and looking like the answer to the left back problem that Porto have had since the departure of Alex Telles. Moura was also named Defender of the Month for September and October.

For the first time in many many years the Clássico will take place at a time when it isn’t the sole focus of the Portuguese media, but it still holds huge importance for both clubs, not just because of the eternal, intense rivalry between them, but because neither team wants to fall further behind Sporting in the title race, even at this early stage of the season. Both clubs go into the game in good form, with quality players full of confidence, and we can look forward to a highly competitive game.

Amorim’s last hurrah

Outside of the Clássico, there will be huge interest in Ruben Amorim’s final game in charge of Sporting, away at Braga. Amorim was already treated to an incredible sendoff at the Alvalade as his Sporting team earned a famous 4-1 victory over Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City – a manager and team that he’ll be seeing an awful lot more of very soon. That game was of vital importance to his reputation, with the eyes of the world on him and his team in a way they never have been before. Many casual Manchester United and Premier League fans will have been watching him for the first time, and made their minds up on his suitability for the role based on that result alone (rightly or wrongly).

The game against Braga feels like something of an afterthought then, only serving as a sendoff to the travelling fans who make their way north from Lisbon to Braga, and as a final opportunity to put on a show with a Sporting team who’ve served him so well over the years. Braga have been in inconsistent form this season, despite changing managers and bringing back a trusted figure in Carlos Carvalhal, although three consecutive wins will have done good things for the team’s confidence, especially a win against Minho rivals Vitória in the Allianz cup.

Whilst the stakes are not the highest for either team, the last thing Rúben Amorim will want to do is leave Sporting with his perfect record this season tarnished, and based on the performance his players gave in his final game at the Alvalade against City, they seem ready to play their part in giving him a good send off.

Hipsters’ choice

Finally, a selection for a game not involving one of the big three (some might call the hipsters choice), and this week we’re interested in Famalicão vs. Arouca. Famalicão played out an exciting 3-2 win over AVS last weekend, and boast a team full of quality players, as well as an accomplished manager in Armando Evangelista. Their start to the season has been good, sitting in 7th place after 10 games with 16 points, just two points behind Vitória in 5th.

Arouca on the other hand have seriously struggled after losing some big players in the summer, and putting their faith in young Spanish manager Gonzalo García, who has recently been axed. García only managed two wins and one draw in his 9 games in charge and Arouca replaced him with Vasco Seabra, a manager with good experience at Primeira Liga level. Seabra has always been a manager of promise, but has never established himself at any club for a significant amount of time. He’ll be hoping Arouca offers him a platform to showcase his abilities, and he will want a strong performance from his team against in-form Famalicão.

Three Players to keep an eye on

Kerem Aktürkoğlu (Benfica): The Turkish winger has lit up the Primeira Liga since his arrival, performing brilliantly at both Liga and Champions League level. It will be his first clássico in Portugal but he is unlikely to be fazed by the occasion after playing in big derbies in Turkey.

Samu Aghehowa (Porto): The numbers speak for themselves with Samu, and he’ll want to keep building on his early season form. A good performance against Benfica will only serve to enhance his already burgeoning reputation.

Gil Dias (Famalicão): The former Benfica man scored two goals against AVS last weekend to help his side secure a 3-2 win. He’s one of a number of players brought into Famalicão with established Primeira Liga experience, looking to take the club to the next level.