Albert
·
9h
My Prediction
Benfica by 2Alright, imagine this - Another star-studded matchup in Liga Portugal featuring Benfica versus CD Nacional. Lucas França has been holding the fort for CD Nacional, making 16 saves with a 7.50 rating, which is not a rating that should be taken lightly. On the other side of the pitch, we've got Samuel Soares and Anatoliy Trubin between the sticks for Benfica, with slightly lower ratings but nonetheless, two solid custodians.
Looking at the infantries, CD Nacional is led by José Gomes, who's scored twice, and Daniel Penha, another forward with 2 leagues goals, despite neither reaching Kamikaze levels of shots on goal just yet. For Benfica, it's been the trio of Orkun Kökçü, Vangelis Pavlidis, and Bruma who are definitely not in a goalscoring drought, thanks to their substantial contributions in the final third.
Peering through the annals of this matchup history, our crystal ball reflects back a dominant win by Benfica in their December 2024 fixture. CD Nacional couldn't get one past Benfica then, so unless they've figured out some magical tactics, they might be in for another difficult night.
Regular season records paint a pretty clear picture too. Benfica is sitting pretty with 17 victories under their belt compared to CD Nacional's 7. And if recent form is anything to go by, then our friends at CD Nacional seem to be in some sort of a pickle. They've had a mixed bag of results recently. Benfica, on the other hand, has been bossing the recent games, with a slight wobble in their outing against Casa Pia. Even though nothing is written, Benfica does seem to have the edge given their rollicking form.
So, slated down to my gut feeling mixed with all these facts, figures and some instinctive banter, here's what I've got for you.
Albert’s Prediction: Benfica by 2