Tactical Analysis: O Clássico

The Clássico between FC Porto and Benfica is by far the biggest game of the country. The two teams have been almost the only contenders for the Portuguese title in the past 10 years and are not only the best teams on the pitch, put also in terms of their club administration and structure.

The two teams with more titles in the country have a hostile rivalry marked by the cultural differences from the north and center of the country, but also because they are the biggest representatives of the two biggest cities in Portugal (Lisbon and Porto).

This past Saturday, the leader of the Liga NOS table, Benfica, visited Porto with a comfortable seven point difference for the Dragões, second in the league.

It is impossible to not talk about the game in the first round, where Porto visited Benfica and beat their rivals after an elite performance, not giving any chance to Benfica after beating the current champions 2-0. Since then (August 24th), Benfica was in a 16 game winning streak for the league, giving them advantage in the title race and on the way for the second championship in a row under Bruno Lage.