Benfica welcome Braga to Estadio da Luz for their penultimate fixture of the 2025-26 Primeira Liga campaign, knowing victory would move them a step closer to securing a Champions League qualification spot.
With Porto already crowned champions, second place remains the only spot offering a path into Europe’s elite competition, and the Eagles currently occupy that position in the Portuguese top-flight table thanks to a superior head-to-head record over third-placed Sporting Lisbon.
Match preview
Benfica head into this encounter on the back of a frustrating 2-2 draw away at Famalicao last Saturday, in a contest where a lack of discipline ultimately proved costly, as Jose Mourinho’s side surrendered a two-goal lead.
Having raced into control through first-half strikes from Andreas Schjelderup and Richard Rios, the Eagles appeared on course for another important victory before Nicolas Otamendi’s 55th-minute dismissal shifted the momentum, allowing the hosts to fight their way back into the game.
While that result saw Benfica’s two-point cushion over Sporting reduced to only a head-to-head advantage, it also brought an end to the Eagles’ three-match winning streak in the league, though they remain unbeaten in their last 47 Primeira Liga outings (W37, D10), a run stretching back to last season.
The Reds have also continued to impress in the final third, scoring two or more goals in 11 of their last 12 league matches, with only Sporting’s 82 surpassing Benfica’s tally of 69 in the division this season.
That attacking strength has been especially evident at Da Luz, where Mourinho’s side have scored multiple goals in each of their last five league outings, winning four of those matches, and they will hope that firepower proves decisive again on Monday.
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Braga, meanwhile, also suffered frustration in their most recent outing, as Mario Dorgeles’s early red card played a huge role in Thursday’s 3-1 defeat at Freiburg, a result that ended the Arsenalistas’ Europa League journey in a 4-3 aggregate loss.
That setback means Carlos Vicens’s side are now without a win in consecutive matches, having previously been held to a 1-1 draw by Estoril Praia in the league, where Dorgeles’s opener was cancelled out after the break by Yanis Begraoui.
As such, Braga have managed just two victories from their last five Primeira Liga outings, though they remain firmly in control of fourth place, sitting five points clear of fifth-placed Famalicao, meaning a draw here would be enough to mathematically secure a top-four finish due to their superior head-to-head point over the Vila Nova outfit.
The Archbishops have also been resilient on the road this season, avoiding defeat in 12 of their 16 away league matches (W8, D4, L4), and they will take added confidence from their recent record in this matchup, having not lost in each of the last three Primeira Liga meetings with Benfica (W2, D1), including a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture.
Benfica Primeira Liga form:
Braga Primeira Liga form:
Braga form (all competitions):
Team News
© Imago / Ball Raw Images
Benfica are expected to remain without Tomas Araujo, who has missed the last two matches with a muscle problem, while Joao Veloso is still sidelined with a shoulder injury.
Otamendi’s suspension forces a reshuffle at the back, with Tomás Araújo expected to slot in alongside António Silva after recovering from the muscle injury that has kept him out of the last two matches.
Meanwhile, midfielder Rios is also unavailable after reaching the ninth-booking threshold, with Enzo Barrenechea likely to partner Fredrik Aursnes in a double pivot.
Vangelis Pavlidis, who has scored 21 league goals this season, could return to the starting lineup after being left unused from the bench last time out, potentially seeing Franjo Ivanovic drop out of the side.
As for Braga, club captain Ricardo Horta returned to the squad as an unused substitute against Freiburg after a brief injury layoff and could feature from the start here.
However, the visitors are still expected to be without Diego Rodrigues, Bright Arrey-Mbi, Adrian Barisic, Florian Grillitsch and Sikou Niakate due to fitness issues.
Benfica possible starting lineup:
Trubin; Dedic, A Silva, Barrenechea, Dahl; M Silva, Aursnes; Schjelderup, Barreiro, Prestianni; Pavlidis
Braga possible starting lineup:
Hornicek; Lagerbielke, V Carvalho, Oliveira; Martinez, Moutinho, Tiknaz, Gorby, V Gomez; Zalazar, Horta
We say: Benfica 2-1 Braga
Meetings between these sides have rarely been straightforward for Benfica in recent years, but the Eagles enter this clash with the advantage of fresher legs after a full week of rest, unlike Braga, who are coming off a draining European trip to Germany.
The visitors have also shown signs of inconsistency in recent weeks, and while they possess enough quality to make things difficult, the Eagles’ attacking strength at Da Luz should help them edge a narrow but crucial victory.
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