Football Bet of the Day: Sporting can haunt Benfica again

Sunday is filled with plenty of footballing action as the Premier League final day takes place, while the curtain also comes down in both La Liga and Serie A.

Over in Portugal, league champions Sporting CP meet rivals Benfica to contest the Taca de Portugal final (17:15) at Estadio Nacional. Benfica narrowly lost out on the league title and they will be out for revenge in this showpiece. Check out my Football Bet of the Day for Sunday.

The two bitter rivals met for a crunch clash in the Primeira Liga title race earlier this month and it was an opportunity for Benfica as the home team to take a giant leap towards reclaiming their crown.

They couldn't be separated as they played out a 1-1 draw, leaving Sporting to defend the title at home to Vitoria de Guimaraes on the final day. Benfica will be disappointed given how close they were to getting back on top, but they have the opportunity to deny their rivals a domestic double in Sunday's cup final.

Football Odds

The Bet Builder I've picked out is double chance in Sporting's favour (in regulation time), coupled with a draw because they are unbeaten in the three meetings with Benfica this term (in 90 minutes)

The Leoes will be full of confidence following their title triumph, and they will be fired up to deliver their supporters a domestic double - which would be amplified as it is against their cross-city neighbours.

Across the season in all domestic competitions, Sporting have only lost three matches in normal time, so they have been a consistently strong force throughout the campaign.

However, Benfica can throw a spanner in the works and perhaps take this tie to penalties, with spot-kicks required when the two teams met in the Taca de Liga final back in January - with Benfica prevailing 7-6 in the shoot-out.

This is why I'd like to have the insurance of the draw.

I'm expecting a tight affair, which has been the case in all three meetings between the two Lisbon clubs this term. Two of the games ended in draws, while the other was a slender 1-0 victory for Sporting on home soil.

The next leg of the Bet Builder is under 3.5 goals, which has landed in all three of the games between the two finalists in 2024/25. This has also been a winning selection in five of Sporting's six appearances in this competition this campaign.

Heading into Sunday, four of Benfica's previous five fixtures produced fewer than four goals, including each of their past three - including the stalemate at home to Sporting.

Benfica vs Sporting CP Odds

I do also think both teams to score is worth covering in this match as it has struck in two of the three meetings between the two sides this season, with the latest as recently as May 10.

A fierce rivalry enhanced by a cup final is likely to bring out the best of the attacking players on both teams, and I think this can lead to entertainment in the form of goals at both ends.

BTTS has struck in three of Sporting's six appearances in this competition to date, while three of their last five outings ahead of Sunday have featured both teams on the scoresheet.

Benfica may have only experienced goals at both ends in one of their six Taca de Portugal contests, but BTTS has landed in each of their last three games in the lead up to the final.

We round off our Bet Builder with a goalscorer and I don't think I can look past Sporting's free-scoring superstar Viktor Gyokeres. The Sweden international has been a machine for the Verde e brancos this term, bagging 53 goals in 51 matches across all competitions, one of which came against Benfica in the Taca de Liga final from the penalty spot.

The striker has nine goals in his past six appearances, so he is heading to the national stadium full of confidence. He has the quality to win this match for his side and in a game of this magnitude, I think he can step up and deliver.

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