The three-peat, the elections and the new beginning: The League returns with doubts
The main new face for 2025/26 is Luis Suárez, who arrived in Portugal from Almería and is the big bet to succeed Gyökeres, at a time when Conrad Harder appears far from winning the spot in attack. In addition to the Colombian, Borges sought to strengthen the squad with players who fit into his 4-2-3-1 formation, with Alisson Santos and Ricardo Mangas emerging as alternatives for the wings. Giorgi Kochorashvili is another high-level prospect, expected to eventually take the spot previously held by Morita. On the right side of defense, Georgios Vagiannidis arrived at Alvalade to replace Iván Fresneda, while João Virgínia returned to the Lions to be Rui Silva's number 2. Also noteworthy is Rayan Lucas, who is on loan from Sporting and should be used in the B team. The Brazilian showed good signs in pre-season and should continue to work with the first team.
Implementing a new system has been a major headache for Rui Borges, who appears to lack players in his squad suited to his 4-2-3-1 formation. In the Super Cup derby, Sporting appeared fragile in the first phase of build-up play, committing several errors against Benfica. While Gonçalo Inácio and Diomande were certainly under considerable pressure from the Reds' forwards, something that shouldn't happen in most matches this season, they struggled in short bursts, having to run long kicks. On the other hand, tactical mobility appears to be an asset, particularly due to Pedro Gonçalves' positioning. Despite starting from the left flank, he tends to occupy central areas, opening up space for Maxi Araújo. Sporting managed to break Benfica's midfield using this approach on several occasions, ultimately losing momentum in the second half when the Portuguese international was forced to the left flank.
With only one championship won this decade, Rui Costa's presidency is increasingly contested within the club's universe, which impatiently awaits titles. Investment has been redoubled over the past few years, and 2025/26 is no exception, especially considering this season will begin with something practically unprecedented: five official candidates will be voting in October for the presidency. Among the more or less well-known candidates, Cristóvão Carvalho, João Diogo Manteigas, João Noronha Lopes, Martim Mayer, and Rui Costa promise to implement new ideas and working methods at the Luz club, but they will have to contend with a potential strong opponent: Luís Filipe Vieira. Although he is not yet a candidate—nor has he made that decision, according to him—the former president has been stirring the waters in recent weeks.
Amidst a historic election season, unprecedented feats also plague Bruno Lage's squad, which had its shortest preseason in history this year due to its participation in the Club World Cup. After returning to Benfica in September, the Setúbal-born coach had only the January transfer window to build his squad in his image, a task that, naturally, only became possible this summer. Álvaro Carreras and Kökçü were the two major sales in a market that also saw the departures of Tengstedt, João Mário (permanent), Meité, Renato Sanches, Amdouni, and Jurásek. Conversely, Richard Ríos, Franjo Ivanovic, Amar Dedic, Samuel Dahl (permanent), Rafael Obrador, and Enzo Barrenechea cost nearly 80 million.
Ivanovic scoring on his debut ???? #sporttvportugal #CHAMPIONSnaSPORTTV #ChampionsLeague #Nice #Benfica pic.twitter.com/ToGX0mxebd
— sport tv (@sporttvportugal) August 6, 2025
The signings seem to have fitted perfectly with Lage's plans, as only Obrador has yet to start in both games. Without Alexander Bah, Amar Dedic has been the star performer on the right flank, shaping up as a more physical full-back who has linked up perfectly with Fredrik Aursnes, who moved to the right flank of the attack thanks to the introduction of Enzo and Ríos, the midfielders. On the left flank, Dahl started the new season ahead of Obrador and hasn't disappointed. Finally, Ivanovic is one of the biggest Portuguese signings in this transfer window and, despite having Pavlidis ahead of him, promises to give the Greek a hard time. In the first match, Lage decided to pair the two up front, placing the Croatian in Pavlidis's position, who played as a more stationary striker. Interestingly, it was on a breakthrough play by the Greek, which dragged down Nice's center-backs, that Ivanovic scored his first goal in his new jersey.
Last season served as a sort of year zero for FC Porto, which nevertheless ended with another trophy added to its trophy cabinet: the Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup. After their appearance at the Club World Cup, André Villas-Boas decided to clean house and made changes to two of the club's key players. Martín Anselmi was fired about six months after being hired, and the club chose Francesco Farioli, formerly of Ajax, to replace him. Meanwhile, Andoni Zubizarreta left his position as the club's sporting director about a year after arriving, and that role was eventually filled by Jorge Costa, who was FC Porto's general director of professional football.
The philosopher to change a philosophy: who is Farioli, confirmed as the new coach of FC Porto
With the former captain occupying one of the decision-making roles, the Dragons made what is, to date, the largest investment in Portuguese football in 2025/26, stocking up on many young players with potential, such as Victor Froholdt, Alberto Costa, and Dominik Prpic. Furthermore, Nehuén Pérez was signed permanently, while Borja Sainz, Jan Bednarek, João Costa, and Luuk de Jong also arrived in Porto. It was the Dutchman who made one of the most surprising moves of this transfer window, having only been made official at the time of the presentation to the fans and without anyone knowing about the potential agreement with the Portuguese club.
The signings appear to be paying off and fitting into Farioli's 4x3x3 formation, which still presents some issues, starting on the left side of defense, where Zaidu was chosen for the starting eleven in both friendlies played at Dragão. Furthermore, Rodrigo Mora appears to have lost his place in the team, no longer having a role to play, even though the Italian tested him in place of Gabri Veiga against Atlético Madrid as a more attacking, progressive player who makes moves from the inside out. Almost all of the reinforcements are expected to gain significant playing time throughout the season, justifying the investment made in recent weeks. Even so, Jorge Costa's death last Tuesday is expected to have an impact throughout this season, leaving the Dragons' structure and, especially, the club that saw one of its greatest figures depart. The objective is simple: to regain the Championship with the legacy of the former captain firmly in mind.
observador
