Estrela Amadora vs. Benfica – News and Probable Lineups

After a midweek Europa League match, Benfica returns to league play with a short journey across Lisbon to face Estrela Amadora in their 11th Primeira Liga clash.

The Tricolours are looking to break a four-match losing streak, one they extended last week with a 2-1 loss to Moreirense. Meanwhile, Marco Silva’s team achieved their seventh straight victory in all competitions by defeating Lech Poznan 3-1 on Thursday night.

Match overview

Estrela Amadora is determined to halt their poor form, which has seen them drop out of the top six and into 12th place, owing to four successive defeats against Academico Viseu, Arouca, Casa Pia, and most recently, Moreirense.

However, Pepa’s squad at least managed to end a run of three games without scoring in their last encounter, with Lovro Zvonarek netting just before the hour mark.

Despite their league struggles, which now span five matches without a win in the Primeira Liga, Estrela did manage to advance to the next stage of the Taca de Portugal, although they faced more challenge than anticipated.

Despite being heavily favored to win against fourth-tier Fazendense, the Tricolours were still tied late into the match until Tom Moustier netted his second goal five minutes from time, ensuring the possibility of an upset was avoided. Next, they will face second-tier Portimonense.

Pepa’s team had an unbeaten start to the season, with impressive results against Sporting Lisbon and Braga, but now they face one of their toughest tests as they prepare to host Benfica.

This formidable task comes as they prepare to face an Eagles side that heads to Amadora on a run of seven consecutive victories in all competitions.

Since suffering a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Porto in the league, Silva’s players have bounced back remarkably, routing Celtic in the Europa League, advancing smoothly in the domestic cup, and reducing the gap to the league leaders to five points.

In the last seven matches, Benfica has netted 20 goals, hitting the back of the net at least four times in three of those games.

This attacking prowess has contributed to an 80% win rate in the Primeira Liga, with Benfica leading the scoring charts with 27 goals, while only four teams have conceded fewer than their eight.

The Eagles continued their strong performance in the Europa League, securing their fourth consecutive win on Thursday evening with goals from Rafa Silva, Gianluca Prestianni, and Georgiy Sudakov leading them to a 3-1 victory against Lech Poznan, propelling them to the top of their group.

The two sides have frequently met since Estrela gained promotion from Liga Portugal 2 in 2022-23, despite the club being founded merely six years ago. However, the Tricolours have unfortunately lost all nine of their previous encounters with Benfica, including a substantial 7-0 defeat in a cup match nearly two years ago.

Team News

Estrela Amadora is likely to field an unchanged starting XI from the squad that lost to Moreirense over the weekend, although they still will be without Robinho and Jeremy Arevalo.

Ianis Stoica leads the club’s scoring with four goals but has not scored since September. Despite this goal drought, the Romanian is expected to remain in the starting lineup.

Vangelis Pavlidis tops the Primeira Liga scoring table with 10 goals from 10 matches. Although he was not used in Benfica’s last European fixture, he is anticipated to return to the starting XI for this match.

Silva has alternated keepers Anatoliy Trubin and Samuel Soares throughout the season, using the former in the midweek match but not in the league last weekend. Hence, it is likely that the Benfica manager will opt for the Ukrainian to start in goal on Sunday.

The former Hull City, Everton and Fulham head coach, however, will not be able to call upon ex-Tottenham defender Clement Lenglet or Leandro Barreiro.

Estrela Amadora probable starting XI:

Linck; Scholze, L. Patrick, Lekovic, Davin; Jansson, Serra; Marcus, Zvonarek, Stoica; Antonetti

Benfica probable starting XI:

Soares; Bah, Araujo, Circati, Dahl; Sudakov, Palhinha; Silva, Prestianni, Schjelderup; Pavlidis

Given that one of Europe’s most effective attacking teams is squaring off against a side that has yet to keep a clean sheet in their last 12 encounters, it is reasonable to expect Benfica to create numerous scoring chances.

The Eagles have suffered only one defeat this season and are backed to extend their winning streak to eight matches on Sunday, potentially securing a second 3-1 win in just four days.