Benfica will be seeking to regain top spot in the Primeira Liga standings when they go head to head with Chaves at the Estadio da Luz on Friday evening.
The Flavienses, on the other hand, find themselves rooted to the bottom of the table with just eight games left to go and will need all three points to kickstart their quest for survival.
Match preview
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Benfica ensured that they remain within one point of league leaders and rivals Sporting Lisbon just before the international break as they secured a 1-0 victory over Casa Pia on March 17.
Following a relatively uneventful first half at the Estadio Pina Manique, Brazilian forward Arthur Cabral came up clutch for the visitors as he struck in the 74th minute to hand Os Gansos their 13th defeat of the season.
Prior to that, Benfica booked their spot in the Europa League quarter-finals with a 1-0 victory over Rangers at Ibrox on March 14, one week after a playing out 2-2 first-leg draw with the Scottish powerhouse at the Estadio da Luz.
Roger Schmidt's men have now gone four consecutive games without defeat across all competitions, claiming three wins and one draw since a humbling 5-0 defeat at the hands of rival Porto on March 3.
Having clinched their 38th league title last term, Benfica are well on course to defend their Primeira Liga crown as they sit second in the table, one point behind league leaders Sporting Lisbon.
As Aguias' impressive campaign has been owing to their solid performance on home turf, where they are one of just two sides yet to suffer defeat and currently boast the second-best point tally after 13 matches (35).
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With just eight games left in the 2023-24, Chaves' two-year stint in the top flight is now under serious threat as they find themselves scrambling for points at the bottom of the league standings.
Joao Teixeira's men have won just four of their 26 matches so far while losing 15 and claiming seven draws to collect 19 points and sit 18th in the table, four points off 16th-placed Portimonense in the relegation playoff spot.
The Flavienses' major struggle has come at the defensive end of the pitch, where they have conceded the highest number of goals so far (56), while have scored just 25 goals at the opposite end.
Their defensive vulnerability was highlighted last time out, when they fell to a 2-1 loss against Vitoria de Guimaraes at the Estadio Municipal Eng. Manuel Branco Teixeira after giving away a penalty in the 63rd minute of play.
Hector Hernandez struck in the 23rd minute to cancel out Jota Silva's 20th-minute strike and end the first half level before Tiago Silva neatly converted his 63rd-minute penalty to hand Os Vimaranenses all three points.
Chaves head into Friday's clash without a win in 13 of their last 14 matches — losing seven and claiming six draws — with a 2-1 victory over Boavista on February 17 being the exception.
While they will be looking to return to winning ways and kickstart their quest for survival, next up is the stern challenge of taking on a Benfica side who are unbeaten in eight of their last nine meetings, claiming seven wins and one draw since September 2016.
Team News
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Benfica remain without the services of Spanish defender Juan Bernat, who continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a severe muscle injury back in October.
Twenty-year-old defender Antonio Silva will also play no part in Friday's game due to a one-game suspension after crossing the yellow card threshold with his booking against Casa Pia last time out.
Portuguese defender Sandro Cruz came off injured in the game against Estrela Amadora on February 24 and the 22-year-old remains out of contention for Chaves.
He is joined on the Flavienses' injury table by South African midfielder Thibang Phete, who has missed each of the last four matches since sustaining an injury against Boavista on February 17.
With his strike against Vitoria de Guimaraes, Hernandez now has 13 Primeira Liga goals this season and we expect the Spanish striker to spearhead Chaves' attack once again.
Benfica possible starting lineup:
Trubin; Bah, Morato, Otamendi, Aursnes; Luis, Neves; Di Maria, Silva, Mario; Leonardo
Chaves possible starting lineup:
Souza; Nogueira, Fernandes, Pius; Ribeiro, Victor, Guimaraes, Benny; Carraca, Hernandez, Guzzo
We say: Benfica 3-0 Chaves
While Chaves will be looking to find their feet this weekend, they are in for a tough 90 minutes against a significantly-superior Benfica side. Given the gulf in class and quality between the two sides, we are backing As Aguias to come away with a comfortable victory in front of their home supporters.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
