Guimaraesvs.Benfica

The Reds lost ground in the title race, slipping to second after failing to defeat Arouca on Sunday, a result that ended their nine-game winning streak.

Match preview

Benfica's stay at the summit lasted no more than a week as they failed to protect their lead against Arouca, who salvaged a 2-2 draw in stoppage time on Sunday.

The momentum in the title race has experienced an intriguing and swift swing across the past two game weeks, with both contenders following an eerily similar pattern — the league leaders slipping up a day after the team in pursuit had briefly surged ahead — and it was the Reds's turn to relinquish control as Sporting Lisbon reclaimed top spot with their victory over Santa Clara on Saturday.

Now trailing only on goal difference, Benfica, level on 69 points with Sporting, will be desperate to secure maximum points this weekend, although they have drawn each of their last three visits to Vitoria across all competitions, underlining the difficulty of the task ahead.

Further complicating their mission is Vitoria's knack for shutting up shop, with the Conquerors playing out a league-high 12 draws, a statistic that spells danger for the visitors' title ambitions.

Still, Benfica's away form provides plenty of reason for optimism, with nine wins from 14 trips in the top flight, including five straight victories on the road that have shown them to be even more ruthless outside Lisbon in recent weeks.

If there is any side capable of halting that away streak, Vitoria certainly have a claim, having proven a tough nut to crack at Afonso Henriques, where they have suffered just one league defeat all season and are unbeaten in their last 11 Primeira Liga matches in front of their fans.

Luis Freire's men have picked up eight wins in 14 top-flight outings on their patch, and their 29 points from those encounters make them the fifth-best home side in the division.

Vitoria come into this fixture riding high, having won five of their last six league matches, the latest being a hard-fought 1-0 success away at Gil Vicente last Friday, extending their unbeaten run to 10 in the Primeira Liga.

That run has seen the Conquerors consolidate fifth place with 48 points, leaving them 11 behind fourth-placed Porto and two clear of Santa Clara in sixth.

The Little Whites's recent surge has largely been powered by a rock-solid backline, with clean sheets in seven of their last 10 league games, including each of their last five on home soil.

That impressive defensive streak will be put to the test against a Benfica side that has been firing on all cylinders, having scored at least three goals in eight of their last 10 top-flight matches.

Vitoria de Guimaraes Primeira Liga form:

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Vitoria de Guimaraes form (all competitions):

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Benfica Primeira Liga form:

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Benfica form (all competitions):

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Team News

Umaro Embalo will be unavailable for selection as he is on loan from Benfica and ineligible to face his parent club.

Gustavo Silva, who scored the winner against Gil Vicente, is expected to lead the line once more, given his growing influence as the team's focal point in attack.

Meanwhile, Mikel Villanueva is fully fit again and could return to the starting lineup in place of Filipe Relvas at the heart of the defence.

Despite the disappointment of the Arouca result, manager Bruno Lage may resist the temptation to make changes to the starting eleven that began that match.

Orkun Kokcu will be brimming with confidence after a goal and an assist last time out and will once again be tasked with pulling the strings in midfield.

Renato Sanches remains sidelined for the rest of the season and joins Alexander Bah and Manu Silva on the injury list.

Vitoria de Guimaraes possible starting lineup:

Varela; Maga, Villanueva, Borevkovic, Mendes; Handel, Silva, Samu; Mendes, Silva, Arcanjo

Benfica possible starting lineup:

Trubin; Carreras, Silva, Otamendi, Araujo; Florentino, Kokcu, Akturkoglu, Aursnes, Di Maria; Pavlidis

We say: Vitoria de Guimaraes 2-1 Benfica

One record will have to give way — either Vitoria's five-game home clean sheet run in the Primeira Liga or Benfica's 13-match scoring streak in the competition.

Written by

Adeyeye Oluwapelumi

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