- Benfica are unbeaten in their last five Primeira Liga matches, winning four and drawing one
- Benfica have won both of the last two head-to-head meetings, winning 4-0 away when they last played four months ago
- Moreirense are winless in their last two away matches, drawing once and losing once
Eagles can take flight to another home win
SL Benfica vs Moreirense prediction is becoming a hot topic as Benfica have been in good form since Jose Mourinho took charge, going unbeaten in their last five league matches with four wins and a draw, but the visit of mid-table Moreirense on Saturday will test the Eagles’ resolve.
The Lisbon giants are in their customary second spot in the Primeira Liga with 72 points from 30 games. But there is an element of luck in the Eagles’ favour that they have Mourinho at the helm now and the coach has already imprinted his structure-first mentality on the team.
Benfica’s style under Mourinho is pragmatic and based around controlling games with disciplined possession and selected high-energy pressing phases. The hosts know when to play patient and when to press forward, and they always have a counter-attacking line ready to counter if their opponents have a good day.
Moreirense are a well-drilled, pressing unit
The hosts average 2.33 goals scored and 0.67 conceded per game at home in the Primeira Liga this season and are unbeaten in 15 attempts at Estádio da Luz (10 wins, 5 draws), so our SL Benfica vs Moreirense prediction is that they should be too strong for Moreirense.
Vasco Botelho da Costa’s side are having a solid season by their own standards, sitting seventh in the Primeira Liga with 39 points from 30 matches, and they come into the game in mixed form after one win, one draw and three defeats in their last five league outings.
Moreirense’s last three games have seen them beat Estoril 1-0 at home, draw 1-1 at Famalicao and lose 0-1 at home to Braga. But their identity since Costa took charge in the summer has been a team that presses collectively and uses disciplined transitions. The SL Benfica vs Moreirense preview also notes their improvement in organization this season.
Benfica and Moreirense can both score
This SL Benfica vs Moreirense prediction highlights a classic ‘giant vs underdog’ matchup where the smaller side will look to press the opposition into errors and then look to exploit the transitions with some direct, vertical attacking. Costa’s Moreirense are a high-energy side that can run and press in numbers and they have scored 16 goals in 15 away matches in the Primeira Liga, so they can score against the home team.
But Benfica are in good shape, winning back-to-back matches either side of the international break to beat Nacional 2-0 at home and Sporting CP 2-1 away. Vangelis Pavlidis is their biggest scoring threat, having scored 21 times in 30 Primeira Liga games, while Gianluca Prestianni has been a spark to their creativity with three assists in his last five games.
Benfica are likely to win and both teams should score, so we will take the home win at 1.12 and the 2.28 odds on both teams to score with over 2.5 total goals at 1.38. The SL Benfica vs Moreirense betting tips suggest that Benfica’s home record is so good that it is worth taking the underdog odds on Moreirense to get on the scoresheet. Guilherme Schettine leads their attack with nine goals in 15 Primeira Liga appearances this season, so he is the best man to watch for them.
