Sporting CP vs Benfica prediction 29.02.2024
Sporting CP
2 - 1
Elapsed: FT
Half time: 1 - 0
Full time: 2 - 1
Kick off:
Date:
Benfica

The match has ended, you can view football predictions for today and football predictions for tomorrow.
Contents
- 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
Sporting CP vs Benfica Head to Head (H2H) stats
-
Benfica
2 : 1
Sporting CP
Liga Portugal
-
Sporting CP
2 : 2
Benfica
Liga Portugal
-
Benfica
2 : 2
Sporting CP
Liga Portugal
-
Sporting CP
0 : 2
Benfica
Liga Portugal
-
Benfica
1 : 3
Sporting CP
Liga Portugal
-
Benfica
4 : 3
Sporting CP
Liga Portugal
Sporting CP team news
Francisco Trincão will be unavailable to Sporting CP head coach Rúben Amorim on Thursday after sustaining an injury in the draw with Rio Ave last weekend.
The absence of the former Barcelona player does mean that Marcus Edwards, who came on as a substitute in that game, could get a start on Thursday upfront, while Eduardo Quaresma is also hoping to start in defence.
Sporting's injury list also includes Paulinho, who has missed the last four games with tendinitis.
Last matches of Sporting CP
-
Rio Ave
3 : 3
Sporting CP
Liga Portugal
-
Sporting CP
1 : 1
Young Boys
Europa League
-
Moreirense
0 : 2
Sporting CP
Liga Portugal
-
Young Boys
1 : 3
Sporting CP
Europa League
-
Sporting CP
5 : 0
Braga
Liga Portugal
Sporting CP lineup
Goalkeeper
-
1
Antonio Adán
Defenders
-
72
Eduardo Quaresma
-
4
Sebastián Coates
-
26
Ousmane Diomande
Midfielders
-
11
Nuno Santos
-
5
Hidemasa Morita
-
42
Morten Hjulmand
-
21
Geny Catamo
Forwards
-
8
Pedro Gonçalves
-
10
Marcus Edwards
-
9
Viktor Gyökeres
Benfica team news
As far as Benfica are concerned, Juan Bernat has been out of action since November last year due to pubalgia and Thursday's game comes too soon for the left-back.
Ángel Di María's goal against Portimonese means he has now scored 13 goals in all competitions this season and the Argentine is expected to rejoin Rafa Silva and João Mário in the final third.
Last matches of Benfica
-
Benfica
4 : 0
Portimonense S.C.
Liga Portugal
-
Toulouse
0 : 0
Benfica
Europa League
-
Benfica
6 : 1
Vizela
Liga Portugal
-
Benfica
2 : 1
Toulouse
Europa League
-
Vitoria Guimaraes
2 : 2
Benfica
Liga Portugal
Benfica lineup
Goalkeeper
-
1
Anatoliy Trubin
Defenders
-
6
Alexander Bah
-
4
António Silva
-
30
Nicolás Otamendi
-
8
Fredrik Aursnes
Midfielders
-
10
Orkun Kökçü
-
20
João Mário
-
87
João Neves
Forwards
-
11
Ángel Di María
-
27
Rafa Silva
-
7
David Neres
Three reasons I expect at least three goals in this game
- Just one of the last seven games of Benfica ended with under 2.5 goals.
- Five of the last seven games of Sporting produced more than two goals.
- Over 2.5 goals were scored in six of the last seven meetings between Sporting and Benfica.
Main prediction Sporting CP - Benfica
Over 2.5 goals
Best Odds: