A genuine title-decider in Primeira Liga will see second-placed Porto battle leaders Benfica for the first position in the standings ahead of the final round of fixtures. The Eagles are in a better position as they are two points clear at the top, but lose at Estadio do Dragao and their bitter rivals will be celebrating yet another league trophy.

Must-win game

Profit-oriented transfer strategy did not prevent Porto from fulfilling their potential, but rather helped the team establish domestic domination and develop into true European giants. It is really remarkable to see the Dragons effortlessly replacing key players season after season and unproven youngsters stepping up the plate as soon as they arrive at the club. With their bitter rivals Benfica showing massive improvement of late, Porto are no longer automatic choice for the league title and they have been looking at the back of their opponents for quite a while now. Several costly slip-ups allowed the Eagles to open up a four-point lead at the top, but Monday’s draw with Estoril gave the Dragons a lifeline and a chance to dislodge their rivals from the top by beating them on Saturday. That will be no easy task given the quality of their adversaries, but if anyone can unlock Benfica’s defence it is the trio of James Rodriguez, Jackson Martinez and Silvestre Varela. The hosts are expected to throw caution down the wind and go all guns blazing from the off.

Marat Izmailov is out through suspension, while Alex Sandro and Maicon both face fitness tests ahead of the Benfica clash.

Are we there yet?

It was by no means easy for Benfica to watch their arch rivals become the dominant force in Portugal, but that seem to have made the club chiefs even more determined to improve and try and close the gap behind the Dragons. The uptrend in fortunes coincided with the arrival of Jorge Jesus from Sporting Braga, who has helped the Eagles become much more consistent and led them to some excellent results on both domestic and European stage. This season has been particularly impressive for Benfica, with the team climbing to the top of Primeira Liga and reaching the Europa League final, but it could still turn into a huge disappointment should they lose to Porto and miss out on the league title. If that happen, the Eagles will have nobody else to blame for themselves as the coveted trophy would be in the bag had they beaten Estoril last Monday. As things stand now, they will have to bring at least one point from Porto to clinch the league title, but rather than defending for their lives they plan to achieve a positive result with an attack-minded approach.

Carlos Martins misses out through suspension, while Enzo Perez is a major doubt. Nico Gaitan and Nemanja Matic should be fit to play.

Verdict

Stakes may be extremely high, but I seriously doubt either of the two sides are going to approach this match with a lot of caution. Both Porto and Benfica boast amazing attacking potential and they are aware their best chance of winning the tie is to outscore their opponents, which is why we could see goals galore at Estadio do Dragao.

Top pick: Over 2.5 goals   1.83 (5/6) @ Ladbrokes

Alternative pick 1: Both teams to score   1.73 (8/11) @ Stan James

Alternative pick 2: Over 3.5 goals   3.25 (9/4) @ William Hill

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