The tournament is in full swing in the race for the grand prize of (almost) €100 million which will earn the champion a direct presence in the group stage of the new Champions League. We analyze the final stage, journey by journey.
The period in which title favorites enjoyed so-called tolerance in the national title fight is over, although it seems destined to be contested solely between Sporting and Benfica, who are far ahead in the standings and have room for error. However, it is not worth neglecting what FC Porto and Braga can still do until the end of the competition, as evidenced by what happened last year when the Dragons came close to overturning a 10-point deficit against Benfica. The problem now for Sergio Conceicao's Porto is that they have not just one competitor, but two.
However, there are still weaknesses in Luz and Alvalade that can be mutually exploited by Sporting and Benfica. The national champions have shown a level of display that is truly below what they can produce. This was demonstrated in the defeat with impressive numbers in Alvalade (1-2), in the Portuguese Cup, in the defeat it suffered against Dragao in the championship (0-5), and until last Thursday, in a European League match, in Luz. With Glasgow Rangers (2-2).
Sporting has maintained a certain level of quality, but it suffers from other problems. The short side appears to be physically compact and the Lions' defense continues to provide many benefits to the opposition's attacks. As if that was not enough, there are players who are “at their maximum potential,” as Ruben Amorim admitted, and the team seems to be relying on the abilities of Swede Victor Geukeris.
In short, Benfica needs to get back the football they played last year, preferably the one that also featured Enzo Fernandes, and Sporting, who have a match against Famalicao, need to get back their best physical players, such as Adan, Gonzalo Inacio and Pedro Goncalves.
Until the end, there will be a lot of tension when we know that only the winner of the tournament can reach the new Champions League and is entitled to a sum of around 100 million euros.
Read the full analysis of the final 10 rounds in this issue new Which will be on newsstands on Saturday, March 9.
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