Friday night's Primeira Liga action will get underway with the defending league champions Benfica taking on Famalicao at Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica.
The hosts will be hoping to end 2023 atop the league standings but head into this match in the second spot with 33 points after 14 games, while the visitors have posted 18 points and are in seventh place.
Match preview
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Benfica are ending the calendar year in fine style, and taking the top spot in the Primeira Liga heading into 2024 would cap off what has been a very productive second half of December.
The Eagles are one point behind current league leaders Sporting Lisbon and come into this match after booking their place in the semi-final of the Taca da Liga with a 4-1 win over second-tier AVS last week.
That result followed an important 1-0 win over Braga in the league and an even more crucial 3-1 victory over Red Bull Salzburg, which earned them an against-the-odds spot in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Roger Schmidt's side are now riding a high of three wins on the spin and have not tasted defeat in their last seven matches in all competitions, including five wins and two draws.
In addition, the hosts are unbeaten in six league home games this term and have not lost to this opponent in their last eight meetings (W6 D2 L0) while outscoring them 19-3 over that period.
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Meanwhile, Famalicao will head into Friday night's fixture looking to snap up a four-match winless streak in the league, which included two losses and back-to-back 1-1 draws against Portimonense and Estoril Praia.
Joao Pedro Sousa's side were not involved in Taca da Liga action last week, which means that they will be well-rested for this encounter having last taken the field on December 17.
After pulling off a 2-1 win over Braga in their first away game this season, Fama have only managed to win one of the next nine leading up to this match, during which time they were beaten 2-0 by this opponent in the Taca de Portugal at the end of November.
The major issue for the visitors this season has been their poor attacking output, managing just 13 goals in 14 matches this season, which is the joint-worst in the top flight, level with Casa Pia.
While they are massive outsiders, Sousa will know that a good result here could give his side a much-needed boost of confidence heading into a busy January fixture list.
Team News
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Schmidt resisted the temptation of resting many of his first-team players last time out against AVS; therefore, we should see a fairly similar lineup in this match, though Nicolas Otamendi is likely to return in defence.
In terms of absentees, David Neres (knee) and Juan Bernat (muscle) are ruled out due to injury, while Alexander Bah (thigh) is flagged as a doubt.
Famalicao are expected to remain unchanged for the upcoming match, with Jhonder Cadiz leading the line, while Theo Fonseca and Chiquinho should provide the support for the front man.
Nathan, Enea Mihaj, Justin de Haas and Francisco Moura are the most likely to make up the defensive quartet in front of Luiz Junior in goal.
Benfica possible starting lineup:
Trubin; Aursnes, Silva, Otamendi, Morato; Neves, Kokcu; Mario, Silva, Di Maria; Tengstedt
Famalicao possible starting lineup:
Junior; Nathan, Mihaj, De Haas, Moura; Sa, Topic; Fonseca, Youssouf, Chiquinho; Cadiz
We say: Benfica 2-0 Famalicao
Benfica are carrying solid form into this match and will be full of confidence after securing three crucial wins on the bounce. The Eagles have been formidable at home this season, unbeaten to date, and we feel they will secure the points in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Devesh Jaganath
