Two clubs in the top half of the Portugal Liga table will do battle today in a league match between Benfica and Rio Ave. The first-division clash scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET will be held at the Stadio da Luz in Lisbon and can be live streamed here.
What They're Saying
Benfica manager Jorge Jesus (via BBC): "I don't know the criteria used for this choice [of the FIFA 2014 Coach of the Year shortlist]. If I did, I would have a better-informed opinion, but I have noticed that there are some on the list who achieved less than I did. I couldn't help looking to see what some of them did not win. If you ask whether I wanted to be there, then I would say yes. It would have been a recognition of my work."
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Benfica's Anderson Talisca has been in scintillating form this season. In eight league appearances, the 20-year-old has seven goals.
Benfica's Projected Lineup (4-4-2): Artur; Maxi Pereira, Luisão, Lisandro, Eliseu; Samaris, Salvio, Enzo Pérez, Gaitán; Talisca, Jonas
Rio Ave's Projected Lineup (4-2-1-3): Cassio; Pinto, Gouano, Marcelo, Lopes; Tarantini, Wakaso; Lopes; Del Valle, Goncalves, Ukra
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (statistics and lineups via WhoScored).
Standings
| Rnk | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benfica | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 6 | 14 | 19 | |||
| 2 | FC Porto | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 12 | 18 | |||
| 3 | Vitória Guimarães | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 17 | |||
| 4 | Sporting CP | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 17 | 6 | 11 | 16 | |||
| 5 | Rio Ave FC | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 14 | |||
| 6 | Sporting Braga | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 14 | |||
| 7 | FC Paços de Ferreira | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 14 | |||
| 8 | Belenenses | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 14 | |||
| 9 | CS Marítimo | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 12 | |||
| 10 | Moreirense | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 7 | -2 | 10 | |||
| 11 | CD Nacional | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 9 | -3 | 8 | |||
| 12 | Vitória Setúbal | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 12 | -6 | 8 | |||
| 13 | Académica Coimbra | 8 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 8 | -2 | 7 | |||
| 14 | Boavista FC | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 15 | -10 | 7 | |||
| 15 | Arouca | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 15 | -11 | 7 | |||
| 16 | GD Estoril Praia | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 17 | -6 | 6 | |||
| 17 | FC Penafiel | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 16 | -11 | 4 | |||
| 18 | Gil Vicente FC | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 18 | -12 | 2 |
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