Preview: Casa Pia vs. Benfica - prediction, team news, lineups

As Aguias head into the weekend fresh off the back of reaching the quester-finals of the Europa League and will be looking to pick up their first away win in the league since January.

Match preview

Casa Pia were sent crashing back down to earth in their push for a top-half finish as they suffered a somewhat disappointing 3-1 defeat at the hands of Estrela Amadora last Friday.

Following a relatively uneventful first half at the as, Portuguese striker Kikas netted twice to put the hosts in a comfortable lead, and after Yuki Soma pulled one back in the 86th minute, substitute Andre Luiz restored Estrela's two-goal advantage with a 91st-minute strike.

Prior to that, Casa Pia were on a three-game unbeaten run, picking up consecutive wins over Arouca and Vitoria de Guimaraes respectively before playing out a goalless draw with Gil Vicente on March 3.

Alexandre Santana's men have now lost 12 of their 25 Primeira Liga matches so far while claiming seven wins and six draws to collect 27 points and sit 11th in the league table, level on points with 10th-placed Famalicao.

With just nine games to go before the 2023-24 campaign draws to a close, Casa Pia will now be nervously looking over their shoulders as they sit just four points above 16th-placed Portimonense in the relegation playoff spot.

Elsewhere, Benfica booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Europa League on Thursday courtesy of a crucial 1-0 second-leg victory over Scottish powerhouse Rangers.

Having played out a pulsating 2-2 first-leg draw in Portugal on March 7, veteran midfielder Rafa Silva came up trumps at the Ibrox Stadium as he struck right on the hour mark to send the hosts crashing out of the competition.

Benfica, who will face Olympique Marseille in the Europa League quarter-finals, now turn their attention to the Primeira Liga, where they returned to winning ways last Sunday when they edged out Estoril Praia 3-1 at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.

Prior to that, Roger Schmidt's men were on the receiving end of a humbling 5-0 defeat to rivals Porto at the Estadio do Dragao on March 3 which saw their run of 22 consecutive league games without defeat come to an end.

Having clinched the Primeira Liga crown last season, Benfica are well on course to return the title as they sit second in the league table, just one point behind Sporting Lisbon, who have one game in hand.

Next up for As Aguias is the challenge of a Casa Pia side who have failed to win any of the four encounters between the two teams, losing three and claiming one draw since July 2021.

Casa Pia Primeira Liga form:

D

L

W

W

D

L

Benfica Primeira Liga form:

W

D

W

W

L

W

Benfica form (all competitions):

W

L

L

D

W

W

Team News

Casa Pia will take to the pitch without the services of Portuguese forward Kiki Silva, who has been ruled out since last March through an Achilles tendon injury.

Fellow countryman Rafael Brito missed the game against Estrela last time out after coming off injured versus Gil Vicente on March 3 and the midfielder will also play no part in Sunday's game.

Soma turned in an eye-catching cameo last Friday and the Japanese forward could be rewarded with a place in the XI, Nuno Moreira and Ruben Lameiras in the final third.

Juan Bernat continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a severe injury back in October and the Paris Saint-Germain man is out of contention for Braga.

Off the back of an impressive defensive display against Rangers, Schmidt could name an unchanged back four this weekend, with Fredrik Aursnes, Antonio Silva, Nicolas Otamendi and Alexander Bah shielding 22-year-Anatoliy Trubin in goal.

At the centre of the park, Florentino Luis and Orkun Kokcu should form the midfield pivot, while David Neres, Angel Di Maria and Marcos Leonardo should form the attacking trio once again.

Casa Pia possible starting lineup:

Batista; Tchamba, Varela, Zolotic; Larrazabal, Mukendi, Roberto, Lelo; Lameiras, Andrade, Moreira

Benfica possible starting lineup:

Trubin; Aursnes, Silva, Otamendi, Bah; Kokcu, Luis, Silva; Di Maria, Neres, Leonardo

We say: Casa Pia 0-2 Benfica

Brimming with confidence from their midweek European success, Benfica will head into the weekend looking to return to winning ways. Given the gulf in class and quality between the two sides, we are backing Schmidt's men to come away with all three points.

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