Champions, Europe and relegated teams to be decided on a 'crazy' Saturday

It is no exaggeration to say that, as of 6pm on Saturday, the country will come to a standstill. On the eve of legislative elections, the Portuguese Professional Football League (LPFP) has scheduled all the decisive matches of the final round of the championship for that time.

This means that, of the nine games that make up the round, seven will be played at the same time. There are many factors at stake: who will be champion between Sporting and Benfica, who will go to Europe between Vitória de Guimarães and Santa Clara, and who will be directly relegated between Estrela da Amadora, AVS, Farense and Boavista.

The highlight will, of course, be the title race. Sporting will host Vitória de Guimarães at home, while Benfica will visit Sporting de Braga.

After the 1-1 draw at Estádio da Luz, in the Lisbon derby on the penultimate matchday, the Lions are left to depend on themselves to be crowned two-time champions, which will happen if they achieve the same or better result than the Eagles in Braga.

Thanks to their head-to-head advantage – they beat their rivals 1-0 in Alvalade in the first round – Sporting are in a privileged position to retain their title, despite being level on points with Benfica. They both have 79 points.

However, coach Rui Borges tried to calm the spirits of the team and fans immediately after the final whistle of the derby: “I know the team I'm going to face, I've been their leader and I know the quality on the other side. We haven't been champions of anything yet”.

The player from Trás-os-Montes was recruited from Vitória de Guimarães in December, after Ruben Amorim left for Manchester United and the failed bet on João Pereira, knowing very well the opponent that will stand between Sporting and the trophy.

“We haven’t won anything. We have one game left against a tough opponent. We have to be as serious and committed as we were in the derby if we are to beat Vitória de Guimarães”, added Rui Borges, who is still expecting an opponent motivated to take the title from a coach who ‘abandoned’ them halfway through this season.

Furthermore, the team from Guimarães needs, like Sporting, to achieve the same or better result than their direct opponent, in this case Santa Clara, due to the 2-1 defeat at home to struggling Farense, which complicated their European fortunes.

Benfica just needs to do its part and beat Sporting de Braga, hoping for a Sporting slip-up to start dreaming: “We have to lift our spirits. We have to recover, look ahead and do our job in Braga, which is to win”, said Bruno Lage.

Fight for fifth place

Braga's 2-1 defeat to Casa Pia let FC Porto slip away, as they triumphed on their visit to Boavista, allowing them to isolate themselves in last place on the podium, with three more points and a difference of eight goals, practically impossible to reverse.

Martín Anselmí's men will host the already comfortable Nacional at the same time as the decisive games, as mathematically it is still possible to drop from third place.

The fight for fifth place, the last place for access to European competitions next season, promises to be exciting, as it is directly linked to the fierce battle for the title and the relegation battle. If Vitória de Guimarães will have a tough task in Alvalade, Santa Clara will visit Farense, also fighting for their salvation.

Santa Clara knows that a better result than Vitória will grant them access to Europe, but they will face an opponent who came away motivated precisely from their visit to Guimarães and, on their home ground, will want to repeat the feat to stay in the League.

Farense, led by Tozé Marreco, is 17th and penultimate, with 27 points, tied with AVS, 16th and in a play-off position with the third team in the II Liga, with both still looking at the possibility of ensuring maintenance.

This is due to the victory of the Aves team in their visit to Estrela da Amadora, by 1-0, which left the Tricolor team with just two points advantage over the dangerous positions in the table. AVS hosts Moreirense and the Estrelistas will visit Estoril.

Boavista is at risk of relegation

On the other hand, Boavista knows that it cannot guarantee its permanence yet, and has only one possible solution: to win at the Arouca stadium and hope that both AVS and Farense lose their games. Otherwise, it will be relegated.

The checkered team have 24 points, but have an advantage in the head-to-head over their two direct rivals at the bottom of the table, needing a miracle to save a very difficult season in all sporting and financial aspects.

In the II League, the fight for promotion to the elite is fierce. Tondela could have already been crowned champions when they hosted Alverca, but saw their rivals win 2-1 and get closer to the top spot. The Beira team has a total of 61 points, compared to the 60 points of the Ribatejo team.

Upon arrival at the last round, Alverca assumed a direct promotion spot following Vizela's draw at home to Académico de Viseu (1-1), which dropped the Minho team to third, with 59 points, but still with a chance of becoming champions.

Tondela and Vizela visit União de Leiria and Marítimo, respectively, while Alverca hosts Portimonense, in games scheduled for 8:30 pm on Friday.

Paços de Ferreira and Oliveirense will decide who will play in the play-off and who will join the already relegated Mafra in League 3. At 2pm on Saturday, Paços de Ferreira, with 30 points, will visit Académico de Viseu, and Oliveirense, with 29, will visit Felgueiras.