Will the Dragons extend their home streak against their bitter rivals? Prediction for the Portuguese Primeira Liga match between Porto and Benfica
On Sunday, September 20, 2026, at 21:30 CET, the climax of the 7th round of the 2026/27 Portuguese Primeira Liga season will take place at Porto’s legendary “Estádio do Dragão”: Porto and Lisbon giants Benfica will go head-to-head in the biggest match in Portuguese football.
The winner of this clash will not only pick up three points but also seize the psychological advantage in the title race.
Interestingly, the teams have played two thrilling encounters in 2026, and Porto avoided defeat against the Lisbon side on both occasions:
- 14.01.2026 (Portuguese Cup, quarterfinal): Porto - Benfica 1:0
- 08.03.2026 (Primeira Liga, 25th round): Benfica - Porto 2:2 (goals: Schjelderup, Barreiro - Froholdt, Petushevski)
- It is worth noting that Porto have won 4 of their last 6 head-to-head meetings at “Estádio do Dragão”.
Porto
The Dragons are enjoying an exemplary spell in the league, sitting top of the table on the back of a run of confident victories. At home, the team plays on the front foot: Pablo Rosario, Gabri Veiga and Hwang In-beom pull the strings in midfield, while Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa provides security between the posts.
André Silva, William Gomes and Pepê set the tone in attack. On home turf, Porto stand out for their aggressive counter-pressing, highly compact lines and ability to neutralize the opposition’s quick creative players.
Benfica
“The Eagles have hit an impressive stride: in midweek, the Lisbon side comfortably defeated Italian giants Milan 2:0 at San Siro in the Europa League, with Dodi Lukebakio and Jakub Kamiński getting on the scoresheet. Gianluca Prestianni, Vangelis Pavlidis, Andreas Schjelderup and Leandro Barreiro are all in excellent form, while Samuel Soares guards the goal.
Benfica have been scoring freely and in style in the league, as demonstrated by their 7:0 thrashing of Casa Pia and wins over Moreirense (4:0) and Gil Vicente (3:1). However, an away trip to the Dragão after a grueling journey to Milan will demand maximum concentration and an enormous physical effort.
Probable lineups
- Porto: Costa D. - Costa A., Bednarek, Kiwior, Moura - Rosario, In-beom, Veiga - Gomes, Pepê, Silva
- Benfica: Soares - Banjaqui, Araújo, Lenglet, Dahl - Barrenechea, Barreiro, Prestianni - Silva, Schjelderup, Pavlidis
Prediction
Both giants boast star-studded attacking lines. As their March meeting showed (2:2), it is virtually impossible to keep such a powerful attack quiet for all 90 minutes. My prediction - Both teams to score: yes.
