As matchday 22 of Liga Portugal beckons, Benfica will visit the Estadio do FC Vizela to play against Vizela on Saturday night. The Eagles are amidst an excellent run of form as they top the Liga Portugal standings with 56 points. On the other hand, Vizela are placed ninth with 26 points. In the last Liga Portugal meeting between the two sides, Benfica came back from behind to secure a 2-1 victory, and the visitors will be looking to give the league leaders a tough game once again. Below, we look at the stats of both teams from the current season to comprehend how this matchup could play out.
Overall performance of the teams
The above viz shows the percentile rank of both teams compared with each other as well as with other teams in Liga Portugal 2022-23. In all the indicators, Benfica have a substantially higher percentile rank than Vizela. The Eagles are one of the best performers this season, with dominant stats in all areas, whereas Vizela have done decently in the attacking and defensive departments.
In Liga Portugal 2022–23, Vizela have won seven, drawn five, and lost nine out of 21 matches thus far. They have scored 23 goals and conceded 21 in total. The average xG rate of the team is 1.44, while their average xGA rate is 1.25. The team managed by Tulipa is currently amidst a poor run of form, winning only once in their last five matches and drawing twice.
On the other hand, Benfica have won 18, drawn two, and lost only once. They have scored 54 goals past the opposition this term and average 2.39 xG per match. The defence has conceded only 13 goals in return, with an average xGA of 0.59. Roger Schmidt’s side is amidst an excellent run of form, going unbeaten in seven matches since losing to Braga in December. Currently, they are on a five-game winning streak.
Positional attacks, entries to the penalty box, and recoveries in the opposition half
The two visuals above compare the two teams based on positional attacks and entries to the opposition penalty box per 90 minutes. While the teams are close in terms of the efficiency of positional attacks, the disparity between them is highlighted by the difference in their rankings on the second list.
Benfica creates 41.38 positional attacks per match, with 23.1% leading to shots. The hosts also make 23 entries to the penalty box per match. They have the second-highest efficiency rate for positional plays and are the best team in terms of penalty area third entries. We can expect Benfica to dictate play and look to secure an early lead in this fixture.
On the other hand, Vizela creates 25.43 positional attacks on average, with 29.8% leading to shots. They are third among the efficiency rates for positional plays and have an average rank with 13 penalty area entries per match. We can expect the visitors to focus on staying defensively compact and trying to contain Benfica’s attacking threats.
Another area of disparity between both teams is recoveries in the opposition half. With 15 recoveries in the attacking half per match, Benfica tops the list. Meanwhile, Vizela recovers the ball nine times in the opposition’s half on average and is lower on the list. Overall, the home team makes an average of 83.33 recoveries per match, compared to 83.76 recoveries by the visitors.
Key players
Goncalo Ramos is having an excellent breakthrough season with Benfica. He is the league’s leading goal scorer this season with 13 goals in 17 appearances and has also provided one assist as well. He averages 3.46 shots per match with an accuracy rate of 48.1%. The 21-year-old will be keen to continue his prolific goal-scoring record against Vizela, while the opposition players will have the task of containing his threatening presence in the penalty box.
Team news
Both Vizela and Benfica are expected to name a strong starting eleven, with only one player missing from each team due to injury. Raphael Guzzo will be unavailable for the visitors, while the hosts will be without Mihailo Ristic. Other than these two players, the teams should be able to name their first-choice players for this tight encounter.
This will be an exciting matchup to look out for in Liga Portugal. Benfica are the favourites on paper despite heading into a tricky away fixture. The league leaders look determined to secure maximum points and maintain their advantage in the title race. Meanwhile, Vizela will be motivated to pose a tough challenge on home territory and try to secure a positive result.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
