As matchday 19 of Liga Portugal beckons, Benfica will welcome Casa Pia to the Estadio da Luz on Saturday. The hosts are amidst a great run of form as they top the Liga Portugal rankings by eight points and have gone unbeaten in their last five matches (4 W, 1 D). On the other hand, Casa Pia will go into this fixture while experiencing a dip in form with two defeats in their last three matches; something fans will have noticed when checking the latest Liga Portugal live scores. Going into this match-up, Benfica will look to continue with their strong momentum as they lead the title charge, whereas fifth-placed Casa Pia will be keen to bring a tough game to the league leaders. Below are some stats looking at the performances of both teams in Liga Portugal 2022/23.
Season overview
Benfica are having a tremendous season in Liga Portugal. They have won 16 matches, drawn two, and lost one match thus far. Roger Schmidt’s side has scored 48 goals while averaging 2.32 xG per match. Their defence has let in 12 goals with an xGA rate of 0.59.
The above viz shows the percentile rank of Benfica’s stats in comparison to the other teams. We can observe that the Eagles top the percentile rankings in all departments: attack, possession, and defence. They have arguably been the best performers this season. Notably, the team has an impeccable rank in terms of xG, key passes, final third entries, xGA, and more. Benfica will aim for all three points against Casa Pia and preserve its advantage at the top of Liga Portugal.
Alternatively, Casa Pia have won nine, drawn three, and lost six matches thus far. The Os Gansos have netted 18 goals thus far and average 1.14 xG per match. Their defence has let in 17 goals with an xGA rate of 1.38. The newly promoted team are on a dream run this season and have shown good form overall. They won 2-1 against Santa Clara in their last match. From the viz above, we can see that Casa Pia doesn’t have a great percentile rank in most of the stats, but they have done decently in some areas in attack and defence.
Benfica vs Casa Pia: Positional attacks and counterattacks
Benfica creates 40.56 positional attacks and 1.94 counterattacks per match. They have a high efficiency rate for positional plays and are second-best in terms of counterattacking efficiency. For home matches, Benfica launches 43 positional attacks and 2.56 counterattacks per 90 minutes. We can expect Benfica to dictate play and be on the front foot right from the start in this fixture.
On the other hand, Casa Pia creates 22.33 positional attacks and 2.06 counter-attacks per match. They have among the lowest efficiency rates for positional plays, but their counter-attacking efficiency is much better than most teams on the list. At away matches, Casa Pia launches 19.13 positional attacks and 2.38 counterattacks per 90 minutes. We can expect the visitors to focus on containing Benfica’s attacking threats by defending properly.
Defensive stats
Benfica have done excellently in defence this season and conceded the second-lowest number of goals. They play with a high defensive line and commit lots of defensive actions, including fouls and interceptions, all around the pitch, particularly on the right side. Roger Schmidt’s team wins 64% of the defensive duels and 49.6% of the aerial duels contested. They make 32.61 interceptions and 82.72 recoveries per match and will look to not give away many chances to Casa Pia’s attackers.
Meanwhile, Casa Pia’s strong defence will be the key to obtaining a positive result against an offensive Benfica side. Filipe Martins’ side has shown some defensive fragility of late. Yet they have managed to keep a much better defensive record than most other teams. Casa Pia plays with a deep defensive shape and makes lots of fouls and interceptions in the middle and defensive thirds. The team intercepts the ball 46.17 times per match along with 88.06 recoveries. Additionally, they win 60.4% of the defensive duels and 44.4% of the aerial duels. Casa Pia’s defensive solidarity will be up against a tough test when they face Benfica.
Key players
Goncalo Ramos is having an excellent season with Benfica. He is the league’s joint-leading goal scorer this season with 12 goals in 16 appearances and has provided one assist as well. He averages 3.56 shots per match with an accuracy rate of 47.5%. The 21-year-old will be keen to continue his prolific goal-scoring run against Casa Pia.
Saviour Godwin has been one of the key players for Casa Pia in Liga Portugal 2022–23. The Nigerian winger has three goals and an assist to his name and is one of the top goal-contributors for his team thus far. He will be an important figure in attack for the visitors and will pose a threat to the Benfica backline.
Team news
Benfica are likely to miss the services of Rafa Silva due to a muscle injury. Apart from that, the rest of the players on the home side should be fit and ready to play.
Meanwhile, Casa Pia doesn’t have any known injuries or suspensions in the squad except for long-term absentee Duplexe Tchamba. They are likely to put out a full-strength starting eleven.
This will be an exciting matchup between Benfica and Casa Pia, with both teams in the table’s top half. While the hosts will be the favourites, both teams will be poised to obtain a positive result to continue the momentum. Benfica will be determined to secure maximum points and maintain the advantage in the title race. Meanwhile, Casa Pia will be motivated to stir up an upset as the underdogs and strengthen their position further in Liga Portugal.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
