Benfica-Sporting: decisions come in pairs | Soccer

One “derby” or a “classic” is always a special moment of the season, marked with great prominence in any fan’s calendar – generally, there are two per season and one in each season. In 2023-24, Benfica and Sporting are destined to double that number: they have already played twice and will play twice more, but this second pair of “derbies” It will happen in less than a week. This Tuesday, Luz hosts the first of the decisions (8:45 pm, RTP1), with the second leg of the Portuguese Cup semi-finals in which one of the finalists will be decided, taking place at Jamor on May 26th. Next Saturday, it will be Alvalade’s turn to bring together the two Lisbon rivals to clarify (or complicate) the race for the title – but it will never be decisive. In the first “derby” of the week, there are no points and the decision will be irreversible.

Just over a month ago, at the end of February, Sporting gained an advantage in the fight for a trip to Jamor, with a 2-1 victory, in Alvalade, in a game in which they were better for longer, but in which Benfica managed to do damage control. With the exception of the result, it was a film very similar to what had happened in the first match for the championship, in which the “lions” started better, but in which the “eagles” had a better ending – two goals in compensation and victory by 2- 1. And it had also been like this in the two clashes last season (two draws) between Roger Schmidt and Rúben Amorim: more Sporting at the beginning, more Benfica at the end.

What will it be like this Tuesday? Impossible to predict. But recent history suggests that Sporting is always better from a strategic point of view, while Benfica will be more reactive. It will be no big secret that Amorim’s tactical plan will involve 3x4x3, but the “Leonine” coach keeps the secret about who his interpreters will be at Luz – different players provide different dynamics, as he likes to say. Taking into account his recent options and two significant absences (Adán and Pedro Gonçalves), there will be no big secret about who will be in goal (Israel, which has oscillated between good and bad), and perhaps he will opt for a mixed solution in the wings (Matheus on the left, Geny on the right). Up front, Paulinho, Gyökeres and Trincão have been working well.

But Amorim doesn’t want to give anything to his opponent when it comes to the “eleven” he has in mind for “derby”. “We made an ‘eleven’ thinking about the way we play, how we fit in with the opponent and how we can draw some references. We got into this game a little bit, but I’m not going to say who will play”, said the Sporting coach, who also did not reveal who the two midfield players will be: “Dani [Bragança] raised his game to a performance close to that of Morita and Morten. Having a left foot gives you more options. Between the three of them, two will play.”

Roger Schmidt’s options are more difficult to project. With a spearhead or without a spearhead? If there is one, which one? Who goes to the wards? What will be the core of the midfield? Contrary to what happened last season, the German coach has been quite flexible in the starting eleven. Just on the question of the striker, Schmidt tested four different options in the last ten games: Tengstedt and Marcos Leonardo were starters three times, Arthur Cabral was in the “eleven” twice and in two there was no striker (one one of them was the defeat in Alvalade in the first leg of the semi-finals).

Schmidt also did not open up about who will play up front. “I’m not going to reveal the starting eleven, much less the strikers. We have several options, but of course we need speed and creativity, with important physical power. We have to demonstrate that we have varied options to attack in the final third. All strikers have their own profile, but we hope that everyone can perform similarly from a tactical point of view”, said the German coach.

After the cup comes the clash for the championship, in which the “lions”, with one game in hand, have a point advantage over the “eagles”. But this game, both coaches agree, will have its place at the top of the priorities. “It is extremely important that we stay focused on each game, otherwise it will be impossible to play in such a tight schedule. Our focus is entirely on the Cup”, guaranteed the German. For Amorim, it will also be one game at a time: “It’s not worth thinking about the second when the first is so important. With games so back-to-back, the day after is very important.”