Sporting CP vs Benfica prediction 29.02.2024

• Competition: Taca de Portugal
• Date: 29th February 2024
• Kickoff: 20:45 UTC / 21:45 CET
• Venue: Estádio José Alvalade

An exciting game awaits us on Thursday night when Sporting CP and Benfica face each other in the first leg of the semi-final of the Portuguese Cup.

Sporting have shown some signs of brilliance this season but they have already fallen short twice in the big games. The Lions lost 0-1 to Braga in the semi-finals of the League Cup and most recently failed to capitalise on the chance to draw level on points with Liga leaders Benfica last weekend as they drew 3-3 with Rio Ave.

Benfica also went out in the semi-finals of the League Cup but have been great to watch since then. The Eagles are unbeaten in all competitions since November 2023 when they lost to Real Sociedad in the group stage of the Champions League in Spain and thrashed Portimonense 4-0 in their most recent encounter.  

Sporting CP vs Benfica Betting Tips: Over 2.5 goals

The first thing that came to my mind when I saw this fixture was goals. No team has scored more goals than Sporting in Liga Portugal this season and the Lions' recent goalscoring record at home is outstanding. Rúben Amorim's men scored at least four goals in four of their last five home games, and while they are unlikely to hit four against Benfica, I expect a good number of goals from the hosts.

Benfica can't be written off when it comes to scoring goals either. Roger Schmidt's side scored at least two goals in seven of their last eight matches and only one of those games has ended with fewer than 2.5 goals. In addition, most recent encounters between Sporting and Benfica were very entertaining as more than two goals were scored in each of the last three meetings.

• Best Tip: Over 2.5 goals
• Sporting CP vs Benfica prediction: 2-1