- 1 FC Porto vs Benfica: two goals conceded in six rounds against 55 games unbeaten
- 2 Porto come in with the country’s best defence
- 3 Benfica are hitting hard wherever they go
- 4 Foot Prediction FC Porto vs Benfica
- 5 First, a word on our free picks
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your role
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the images…
FC Porto vs Benfica: two goals conceded in six rounds against 55 games unbeaten 
FC Porto have let in just two goals across their first six league games. No other club in Portugal can match that kind of stinginess, and it sets the scene for the season’s first Clássico against Benfica.
Benfica, meanwhile, arrive on a 55-match league unbeaten run that began after a defeat to Casa Pia on matchday 19 of the 2024-25 campaign. The Eagles have scored at least twice in each of their six Liga Portugal outings this season.
Kick-off is on Sunday 20 September at 21:30 Paris time at the Estadio do Dragao. The two clubs sit top of the table, separated by just two points heading into round seven.
Francesco Farioli has led Porto to a perfect start since the restart, with six wins from six league matches. Marco Silva has dropped only one point, in a 2-2 draw at the Estadio da Luz against promoted Academico de Viseu on opening weekend.
Last season’s meeting is worth remembering: it was Benfica who ended Porto’s perfect run, earning a 0-0 draw at the Dragao. The Eagles are unbeaten in their last two league visits to this ground, though they did lose 1-0 here in the cup on their most recent trip.
Porto come in with the country’s best defence 
The reigning champions have racked up six straight wins against Alverca, Rio Ave, Arouca, Academico de Viseu, Moreirense and Casa Pia. It is almost a carbon copy of their start to the 2025-26 season, which ended with a title won by six points over Sporting.
Defensive discipline is the hallmark of Farioli’s project, with 21 clean sheets in the league last season. The Italian coach has also won 17 of his 20 matches at the Dragao since arriving.
The 4-1 victory at Rio Maior last weekend was the immediate answer to the 2-0 loss to Manchester City in the Champions League. Trailing early, the Dragons turned it around through Andre Silva, Jakub Kiwior, Borja Sainz and Santiago Gimenez.
The injury room is still pretty busy: Nehuen Perez is out with a thigh problem, while Joao Costa and Zaidu Sanusi are still being treated. Vasco Sousa, Andre Miranda and Samu Omorodion are working their way back, with Victor Froholdt and Oskar Pietuszewski still in rehab.
Farioli has called on B-team players Luis Gomes and Tiago Silva to help fill out training, but the centre-back pairing should stay as Kiwior and Jan Bednarek. Up front, Santiago Gimenez got off the mark from the bench with a penalty last week, though that has not pushed Andre Silva out of the No 9 role.
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Benfica are hitting hard wherever they go 
After their opening stumble against Academico de Viseu, Benfica have put together five straight league wins. Casa Pia, Estoril Praia, Maritimo, Moreirense and Gil Vicente have all been swept aside, some of them brutally.
The 0-7 demolition of Casa Pia and the 0-4 win at Moreirense tell the story of Benfica’s attacking output. They have scored 21 goals in six rounds, five more than anyone else in Liga Portugal this season.
Their latest win, a 3-1 comeback at Barcelos against Gil Vicente, came courtesy of a Vangelis Pavlidis brace and a late strike from Gianluca Prestianni. The Greek striker now has seven league goals and leads the scoring race.
Midweek in Europe only underlined the depth Marco Silva has at his disposal at Benfica. With a heavily rotated side, Benfica went to San Siro and beat AC Milan 2-0 in their Europa League opener, thanks to Dodi Lukebakio and Jakub Kaminski.
That European rotation means Benfica head to the Dragao with their big names fresh, with Prestianni and Rafa Silva expected to start. Alexander Bah, back in full training, is in the mix to reclaim the right side of defence.
Probable lineup FC Porto : D. Costa – A. Costa, Bednarek, Kiwior, Moura – Hwang, Rosario, Veiga – W. Gomes, Andre Silva, Pepe
Probable lineup Benfica : Soares – Banjaqui, Araujo, Lenglet, Dahl – Aursnes, Palhinha – Rafa Silva, Schjelderup, Prestianni – Pavlidis
Foot Prediction FC Porto vs Benfica
Our pick: Draw
The league’s tightest defence meets the country’s most productive attack, and neither side has looked remotely shaky since the restart. Two goals conceded at one end, 21 scored at the other: that sort of equation rarely produces a runaway result.
Last season’s meeting points the same way, with that 0-0 at the Dragao halting Porto’s perfect league start. Benfica have not lost a Liga Portugal match in 55 rounds, which makes a home win by any distance a hard case to sell.
Porto’s defensive absences, with Neuen Perez and Zaidu Sanusi sidelined, matter just as much as the freshness Benfica have preserved through European rotation. We are taking the draw at the Dragao.
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