SL Benfica's Final Four

SL Benfica are down to the nitty gritty as they have only four matches left to play in the remainder in the 2015/16 Ligs NOS season. Although the Portuguese Championship is still undecided there is still room for error and room for improvement between first place SL Benfica and second place Sporting CP. 

Although SL Benfica's remaining games are a less tougher schedule then those assigned to Sporting CP, one loss or a tie for SL Benfica can very easily give Sporting CP an opportunity to capitilize and win this years Liga NOS championship. 

SL Benfica are now out of UEFA competition and are still in the Portuguese Cup tournament where they will face Sporting Braga in the semi-finals. Rui Vitoria should consider resting most of his main squad players and capitalize on using such players as; Tallisca, Luisao, Goncalo Guedes, and even look to some b team or infrequently used players (Taarabt? Silvio? Jovic?) as depth to hopefully win the Portuguese Cup. SL Benfica priority should always be to win the Liga but any silverware is better then none and so the Portuguese Cup should also be taken seriously as an extra victory for the club and most importantly the fans. 

SL Benfica will travel this weekend up north to Vila de Conde to face Rio Ave a team who is currently tied with Arouca for that important fifth spot that will give birth to the 201617 Europa League. Such players as; Heldon, Ukra, Yazalde, Helder Postiga, Roderick Miranda, and goalkeeper Cassio are all very familiar with SL Benfica and will do whatever necessary to make their lives miserable up north and gain as many point possible to secure their Europa League spot. Although SL Benfica have been successful most of the time in gaining a result up north against Rio Ave, it was approximately one year ago (March 21, 2015) that SL Benfica lost 2-1 in Vila de Conde. This will not be an easy game for SL Benfica considering they looked tired in the recent 2-1 home victory against Vitoria Setubal. 

On matchday #32 SL Benfica will host coach Rui Vitoria former team Vitoria Guimaraes. Although, Vitoria is quite familiar with the Guimaraes squad, each game should be treated as a final. Losing points is not an option at this point in the season. 

SL Benfica will travel to the Madeira islands on matchday #33 to face Maritimo. Although there is a big SL Benfica fan base in Madeira, playing in Madeira is never easy. SL Benfica last defeat at the Barreiros was on August 18, 2013. Maritimo is currently in thirteenth spot. 

Finally, SL Benfica will host Nacional on the final matchday of the season. If all goes well they will be celebrating their 35th championship but most importantly their third consecutive back-to-back title. If all goes well, Sporting CP will lose points to either FC Porto or Sporting Braga on the road or in the event that they win all of their remaining matches, SL Benfica must also do the same.