Porto vs Benfica Match Analysis and Prediction

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Porto will be meeting with Benfica in a clash of the champions in round 16 of the Portuguese Primeira Liga at the Estadio do Dragao on Thursday.

This will be the second encounter between the teams in a span of seven days after Porto secured a 3-0 victory when they played in the last-16 of the Taca de Portugal last Thursday.

In an exciting contest at the Estadio do Dragao, where both sides finished with 10 men, Porto were leading with three goals in the opening 30 minutes through a brace from Evanilson and Vitinha’s 7th minute goal.

That performance was out of their strong form in the Primeira Liga, where they have enjoyed a sensational first half of the season and look determined to unseat reigning champions Sporting Lisbon.

Porto who are currently level on 41 points with Sporting Lisbon at the top of the Primeira Liga standings, remain one of just two sides unbeaten in the league so far.

Benfica had a superb start to the season, where they made it seven wins from their opening seven games. However, a few setbacks have left them trying to catch up the top two teams.

Having been defeated by Portimonense and Sporting Lisbon, and drawn 1-1 with newly promoted Estoril Praia, they need to close up a four-point gap on their rivals.

With their Taca de Portugal campaign coming to an end, Benfica will remain to focus on the domestic league as they have struggled for consistency in their race for a first league title in three years.

Having collected 22 points from eight games, Benfica have the division’s best record on the road this season and will look to keep this run going as they aim to end their run of seven consecutive games without a win against Porto.

Porto vs Benfica head to head

The two Portuguese heavyweights have previously met on 67 occasions across all competitions, where Porto have taken 35 victories while Benfica have 16, and they have drawn in 16. In their last five encounters, Porto have Porto have won three and they have drawn in two in the process.

Benfica 1-2 Porto 01/08/20

Porto 2-0 Benfica 23/12/20

Porto 1-1 Benfica 16/01/21

Benfica 1-1 Porto 06/05/21

Porto 3-0 Benfica 23/12/21

Porto latest home form

Porto have recently lost at home 3-1 to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. However, they have been on a good run of form at home, as they have won in their last three home fixtures. In their last five, they have won four and lost one in the process.

Porto 2-1 Vitoria Guimaraes 28/11/21

Porto 1-3 Atletico Madrid 07/12/21

Porto 1-0 Sporting Braga 12/12/21

Porto 1-0 Rio Ave 16/12/21

Porto 3-0 Benfica 23/12/21

Porto latest away form

Porto have been on a good run of form on the road, despite recently losing 2-0 to Liverpool in the Champions League. They have won in their last two against Portimonense and Vizela. In their last five, they have won three, drawn one and lost one in the process.

AC Milan 1-1 Porto 03/11/21

Santa Clara 0-3 Porto 07/11/21

Liverpool 2-0 Porto 24/11/21

Portimonense 0-3 Porto 03/12/21

Vizela 0-4 Porto 19/12/21

Benfica latest home form

Benfica have managed to keep a good run of form at home, as they have lost just once in their last six matches. They have won in their last three matches, including against Dinamo Kiev in the Champions League and against Sporting Covilha in the Taca da Liga both in December.

Benfica 4-1 Pacos Ferreira 19/11/21

Benfica 1-3 Sporting Lisbon 04/12/21

Benfica 2-0 Dinamo Kiev 08/12/21

Benfica 3-0 Sporting Covilha 15/12/21

Benfica 7-1 Maritimo 19/12/21

Benfica latest away form

Benfica lost in their last away match 3-0 to Porto in the Taca de Portugal, having not lost in three matches prior to that. Their other recent away loss came to Bayern Munich where they lost 5-2 in the Champions League. In their last five, they have scored 13 goals and conceded 9.

Bayern Munich 5-2 Benfica 02/11/21

Barcelona 0-0 Benfica 23/11/21

Belenenses 0-7 Benfica 27/11/21

Famalicao 1-4 Benfica 12/12/21

Porto 3-0 Benfica 23/12/21

Porto news

Conceicao could name a similar side on Thursday with Evanilson and Mehdi Taremi leading the attack. Porto will be missing defender Ivan Marcano who has a leg problem, with midfielder Marko Grujic also being out of contention as he has missed the last three games due to a muscle injury.

Benfica news

Nelson Verissimo is said to take over the reigns until the end of the season, with Porto seeing the departure of manager Jorge Jesus.

Striker Darwin Nunez is likely to be passed fit to feature on Thursday, with defender Lucas Verissimo and forward Rodrigo Pinho being absent for Thursday’s game.

Prediction and Odds

Porto will be entering this contest in an impressive form in the league, claiming 10 straight victories, with four of the last five coming with clean sheets.

They have not lost in each of their last seven encounters with Benfica, and considering both teams’ current form, we could see Benfica falling to a defeat.

Odds: 1 1.60 X 2.97 2 3.10