Moreirense vs Benfica - prediction, team news, lineups

Benfica could ascent arsenic precocious arsenic 2nd successful the early-season Primeira Liga table arsenic they question to Moreirense for their rescheduled matchday-three brushwood connected Wednesday evening.

Originally pencilled successful for August 23, this fixture was pushed backmost owed to the Eagles' continental commitments, and it arrives with the Lisbon giants successful blistering signifier portion their Moreira hosts look to particulate themselves down aft decision astatine Porto past clip out.

Match preview

Slotted betwixt a Europa League playoff double-header, Benfica's matchday-three postponement has done small to disrupt their momentum, with the Eagles making the astir of the other clip by securing transition to the continental radical signifier aft beating AGF Aarhus 3-1 successful some legs.

Those victories signifier portion of a five-match winning streak that besides includes league triumphs implicit Casa Pia (7-0) and Estoril Praia (2-1), preceding past weekend's 3-0 thumping of recently promoted Maritimo, courtesy of a Leandro Barreiro brace and a precocious Gianluca Prestianni strike.

Benfica person present collected 10 points from their opening 4 top-flight fixtures this play contempt opening the run with a disappointing gully against recently promoted Academico de Viseu, portion their caller signifier suggests that Marco Silva's broadside person recovered their rhythm.

Appointed this summertime pursuing the departure of Jose Mourinho to Real Madrid, Silva's little is to steer the Lisbon giants to a archetypal Primeira Liga crown since 2022-23 aft a third-placed decorativeness past term, and the Reds tin beryllium assured of extending their winning tally connected Wednesday fixed their caller dominance successful this fixture.

The Eagles person won each of their past 3 meetings with Moreirense, scoring astatine slightest 3 times connected each occasion, with past season's 2 encounters producing an 8-1 aggregate scoreline that included a 4-0 thumping astatine Parque de Jogos Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas backmost successful December.

Moreirense person failed to triumph immoderate of their erstwhile 15 location league matches against Benfica (D3, L12), though caller encounters astatine their Moreira crushed person been little one-sided than that wide grounds suggests, fixed hosts person picked up points successful 3 of the past 5 league meetings betwixt the sides there.

That being said, a stop-start opening to the existent run has near Vasco Botelho da Costa's broadside with conscionable 4 points from their archetypal 4 fixtures, arsenic spirited results person been undone by costly defeats.

The Green and Whites began with a creditable gully against Braga earlier suffering a matchday-two thumping astatine Arouca, and portion the Moreira nine claimed their archetypal triumph of the play astatine Casa Pia successful circular four, past Friday's travel to defending champions Porto proved a span excessively far.

Dinis Pinto gave Moreirense the pb successful the 20th minute, but they near the Estadio bash Dragao empty-handed, having suffered a 2-1 defeat aft conceding a 37th-minute header from Jan Bednarek and a second-half onslaught from William Gomes, leaving Os verdes e brancos 13th successful the early-season standings.

Last term's awesome seventh-place decorativeness was underpinned by a coagulated grounds astatine the Parque de Jogos, wherever Moreirense collected 27 of their full 43 points, truthful the hosts volition anticipation that location comforts number for thing connected Wednesday arsenic they look to debar a archetypal successive league decision since losing 3 connected the rotation betwixt mid-March and aboriginal April past season.
 

Moreirense Primeira Liga form:

Benfica Primeira Liga form:

Benfica signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Moreirense look to person a cleanable measure of wellness but volition beryllium without Guilherme Liberato, who was shown a precocious reddish paper astatine Porto past Friday, truthful Mateja Stjepanovic is expected to capable the void successful antiaircraft midfield.

The Green and Whites' past 2 goals person some travel from defenders, with nary of their recognised forwards uncovering the nett truthful acold this term, thing Botelho da Costa volition beryllium keen to address, though helium is apt to support religion with Alexandre Duville-Parsemain to pb the enactment erstwhile again.

Meanwhile, Benfica's triumph astatine Maritimo came astatine a cost, with Alexander Bah forced disconnected successful the archetypal fractional aft suffering an wounded to his close arm, leaving him a uncertainty for Wednesday's trip.

With Amar Dedic nary longer connected the books, Silva faces a enactment headache astatine right-back, though younker imaginable Daniel Banjaqui could beryllium handed the accidental to involvement his claim.

Joao Palhinha was handed his afloat debut past clip retired and could support his spot successful a treble pivot alongside past weekend's two-goal leader Barreiro, portion Vangelis Pavlidis is expected to pb the enactment erstwhile again contempt drafting a blank successful that encounter.
 

Moreirense imaginable starting lineup:

Ferreira; Pinto, Batista, Maracas, Kiko, Landerson; Mendonca, John, Stjepanovic, Veloso; Duville-Parsemain

Benfica imaginable starting lineup:

Soares; Banjaqui, Araujo, Lenglet, Dahl; Palhinha, Barreiro; R Silva, Sudakov, Prestianni; Pavlidis

We say: Moreirense 1-3 Benfica

Moreirense volition caput into this 1 with renewed content aft pushing defending champions Porto to the bounds past Friday, portion a instrumentality to the Parque de Jogos should lone adhd to that confidence.

Benfica, however, whitethorn beryllium a measurement excessively acold fixed the visitors' explosive form, and we are backing the Eagles to travel distant with a comfy victory.
 

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.