Portugal’s premier basketball league is set for a high-stakes “classic” showdown on Saturday as undefeated Benfica hosts fierce rivals FC Porto in a rematch of last season’s championship final.
Benfica aims to maintain its perfect record in the Liga Betclic against a strengthened FC Porto squad. The highly anticipated match marks the first encounter between the two rivals this season.
Norberto Alves, Benfica’s coach, underscored his team’s focus, telling BTV, “Every game, for us, is a final. That’s how we’ve conveyed the message to the players all this time, and they’ve clearly assimilated that idea.”
Alves acknowledged the challenge, stating, “FC Porto is a great team, they’ve improved a lot recently. They started with injuries, but they are stronger now, no doubt. They’ve been playing very well, especially in Europe. A difficult game awaits us.”
FC Porto currently trails Benfica by two points in the standings.
Miguel Maria, a guard for FC Porto, expressed his team’s determination to the club’s website. “Benfica is strong, as has been typical in recent years. They haven’t lost in the League yet, they recently beat one of the leaders of the French League [Le Mans].”
Maria added, “We expect a difficult game, but we are going there to show what it means to be Porto, with grit, determination, and confidence.”
The pivotal match is scheduled for Saturday afternoon local time.
Other Liga Betclic games on Saturday include Sporting facing newcomer Sp. Braga at the João Rocha arena. Sporting player Rui Palhares told Sporting TV, “We are getting to know each other better and better and that is increasingly reflected in the games. I think we are in an excellent moment.”
Additional matches scheduled for Saturday are Imortal against Galitos, V. Guimarães versus Ovarense, Oliveirense against Esgueira, and Vasco da Gama facing Queluz.