Ricardo Monteiro (SC Braga) and João ‘Betinho’ Gomes (Benfica) will meet again this Sunday Photography SL Benfica
Ricardo Monteiro (SC Braga) and João ‘Betinho’ Gomes (Benfica) will meet again this Sunday Photography SL Benfica
Eagles and Dragons travel, this weekend, to the pavilions of SC Braga and Galitos do Barreiro, clubs that gave them problems this season outside the Betclic League. The Reds’ match, Sunday (11am), will be broadcast directly on A BOLA TV
The visit, this Sunday (11am, broadcast live on A BOLA TV), by Benfica to the AMCO Arena to face SC Braga just 16 days after the Minho side eliminated the eagles from the round of 16 of the Portuguese Cup (81-82), interrupting 791(!) days (2 years, one month and 29 days) of unbeaten streak for Norberto Alves na Luz’s men in national competitions, is one of the most highly anticipated matches in the 9th round of the Betclic League.
Round that begins this Saturday with Galitos do Barreiro-FC Porto (3 pm) and Queluz-Ovarense (6:30 pm) at a time when both have 12 points, but Ovar has one game less.
However, in Barreiro, as in Braga, there is also the expectation of seeing how eager the Dragons will be for revenge, or had it not been for their opponent, who remains with just one victory in the competition, capable of defeating the blue and whites (90-89) in Game 2 of Group B of the Hugo dos Santos Cup.
The other strong event of the round will also be on Sunday and in the north, with Oliveirense (3rd) hosting Sporting (2nd) in a fight for second place in the table, behind Benfica, which remains the only undefeated team.
A competition they haven’t lost to since June 13, when they were beaten by FC Porto in Game 3 of the final play-off, before becoming four-time champions (3-1).
Aiko Tanaka is a combat sports journalist and general sports reporter at Archysport. A former competitive judoka who represented Japan at the Asian Games, Aiko brings firsthand athletic experience to her coverage of judo, martial arts, and Olympic sports. Beyond combat sports, Aiko covers breaking sports news, major international events, and the stories that cut across disciplines — from doping scandals to governance issues to the business side of global sport. She is passionate about elevating the profile of underrepresented sports and athletes.
