On Wednesday night, Benfica host Gil Vicente at the Estadio da Luz, as the Eagles look to boost their chances of finishing in the two automatic Champions League spots in the Portuguese Primeira Liga.
Benfica will have started the campaign with ideas of challenging for the league title. However, the home team currently sit third in the Primeira Liga table, 12 points behind leaders Porto.
Nelson Veríssimo’s team does have a game in hand on the leaders. The more attainable objective is to finish second place in the table and qualify for the Champions League automatically.
Currently, city rivals Sporting Lisbon occupy that all-important second spot. However, Sporting are just three points clear of their neighbours.
Benfica’s recent league form has been slightly inconsistent, although a 2-0 win over Arouca last time out means that the Eagles have won four of their last six matches in the Primeira Liga.
The Eagles top scorer Darwin Nunez was once again on target for his team, scoring his 15th league goal in just 16 outings in the Portuguese top-flight.
Gil Vicente are currently sitting in the last of the European spots, as their current fifth-place position would see the visitors play in the Europa Conference league next season.
However, the visitors are just three points clear of sixth-place Vitoria Guimaraes in the race to secure the final European berth. This is Gil Vicente’s game in hand on their rivals.
Ricardo Soares team will head into this game in high spirits after mounting a four-game unbeaten run in the Portuguese top-flight. A 1-0 home win over Portimonense last time out was their third league win in their four unbeaten matches.
Forebet predicts that Benfica will record a victory in a low-scoring encounter to boost their chances of moving into that crucial top-two in the Primeira Liga.
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