Portugal Primeira Liga betting tips and odds

Pacos Ferreira History

Pacos Ferreira is one of the younger clubs in Portugal. It was officially founded in 1950, but their roots go all the way back to 1930s, when they were called SC Pacense but without any official recognition. They later used the name of Futebol Clube Vasco da Gama, until they were admitted to the lower divisions in 1950 and changed their name to Futebol Clube Pacos de Ferreira.

The club fought its way through the third and second divisions for most of the first half of their existence, and not until the 1990s did they establish themselves as a proper top-tier side. Apart from 2004/05 and 2018/19, they have been a constant presence in the Primeira Liga since. They made it into the finals of the Taca de Portugal (Portuguese Cup) in 2009 and the Taca de Liga (League Cup) in 2011, but their biggest achievement to date is certainly the third place in the Primeira Liga which they nailed, along with the subsequent place in the Champions League qualifications, in 2013.

Rio Ave History

The club were founded in 1939, the year the world went to war for the second time, but they wouldn’t accomplish anything of real note until the early 80s. They finished fifth in 1982, and that, along with that of 2018, remains their best result in the league. Two years later, led by Mourinho senior, they reached the Taca de Portugal final which they lost 4-1 to Porto. They repeated the feat in 2014 and this time they won a place in the Europa League group stages, which remains their only involvement in a major European competition to date.

Given the lack of proper success in the course of their long history, the mere fact that they continue to stick to the top half of the table is impressive.

Porto History

Porto were founded back in 1893, and together with the two fierce rivals, they remain a part of the Great Three – the clubs that have never been relegated from Portugal’s top flight since its inception in 1934.

The club won the maiden edition of the league and followed it up with triumphs in 1939 and 1940, and then suffered a 16-year title drought. But all through the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s, though they occasionally finished on top, they mostly took a back seat to the two Lisbon clubs.

Their luck started changing late in the 80s, and in 1987 they beat Bayern Munich in the final to win their first-ever European Cup. Since 1990, they’ve won the Primeira Liga 18 times – surpassing Sporting in the title count. But their arguably best days were yet to come.

In 2001, the club appointed a young and very self-assured Jose Mourinho as their head coach, and having promised the league title in his first season, Mourinho delivered. In 2003, he led the team to the UEFA Cup glory, topping it off by winning the Champions League a year later.

Jose Mourinho’s departure to Chelsea in 2004 didn’t hold them back for too long, and after failing the next season, they continued their successful domestic run all the way to the present day. They also picked up the 2011 Europa League on the way, and though Benfica knocked them off the perch last season, they’ll be looking to get back on as soon as possible.

Braga History

Braga, or Sporting Clube de Braga to be more precise, was founded at the start of 1921. The club struggled to reach the higher tiers of the Portuguese football system for over 20 years, and in 1942, they managed to break into the second division for the first time. It took them five years to navigate further upwards, but they’ve spent most of their history since in the Primeira Liga. One season in the 50s, three in the 60s, and five in the 70s were the exceptions, but they haven’t been relegated again since 1975.

As has already been said, they finished in the top half of the table most of the seasons. They had a relatively poor period from the mid-80s to the mid-90s, but that is about it. In recent years they are a regular participant of the Europa League, never winning it, but they came very close in 2011 when they were defeated by Porto in the first all-Portuguese European final.

They’ve never been crowned champions domestically, with their best league result ever being the second place in 2010, but they have won the Taca de Portugal (Portuguese Cup) in 1966 and 2016, and the Taca da Liga (League Cup) in 2013.

Vitoria Guimaraes History

The club was founded in 1922, and for a long time it has been claimed that the name came in tribute to Vitoria Setubal. However, the Guimaraes supporters have denied such allegations in recent times. It took them almost two decades of toil to scramble through the regional leagues and they finally earned a place in the Primeira Liga in 1941. On top of that, their efforts were further rewarded when they reached the final of the Taca de Portugal (Portuguese Cup) in their maiden season in the top flight, which they went on to lose to Belenenses by 2-0.

Since the early 70s, Vitoria Guimaraes have been taking part in various European competitions, such as the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the Intertoto Cup and the UEFA Cup, and they made a single appearance in the 1988/89 Cup Winners’ Cup.

Vitoria entered a period of crisis at the turn of the century. First they had problems to stay in the league, and after their former president Pimenta Machado was forced to defend himself against accusations of embezzlement, they suffered relegation at the end of 2005/06. It took them only a year to return though, and they re-established themselves as a decent top-tier team straight away. In 2012/13, they finally won the Taca de Portugal by coming back from behind to triumph over Benfica in their sixth final of the competition.

Portimonense History

Portimonense were founded back in 1914, and they were a regular part of the Primeira Liga until 1990. Their best result came in 1985, when they finished in fifth place and competed in the UEFA Cup the following season. However, between 1990 and 2017, they only played in the top flight in 2010/11.

The club hasn’t won any major trophies as of yet, despite being around for over a century now. They have, however, had some good runs in the cups, reaching the semi-finals of the Taca de Portugal (Portuguese Cup) three times – in 1983, 1987 and 1988.

There is one thing that makes Portimonense stand out from most clubs across Europe. They are owned by their supporters, which is less uncommon in Spain and Portugal than elsewhere on the continent. They also have an original song of their own, entitled “Portimonense, expoentealgarivo” (“Portimonense, the Algarve exponent”).

Meanwhile, for all the pride and loyalty of their supporters, it remains a fact that all they will be hoping for this season is to stay in the league.

Belenenses History

In 1999, C.F. Os Belenenses started the Sociedade Anonima Desportiva (Anonymous Sports Society) – SAD, which was tasked with running the club’s professional football section. It worked fine until financial troubles engulfed both entities in 2012.

The problems were temporarily solved by selling 51% of the SAD shares to an outside investor. The deal was of such nature that the club retained the VETO rights for some decision regarding the SAD, and they had the right to buy the shares back at any moment.

However, the investor disputed that segment of the deal in 2017, citing contract violations by the club, and eventually, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled in the favour of the investor. On June 30, 2018, the agreement which had regulated the relationship between the entities ended, and they effectively became completely separated. This resulted in Belenenses SAD being founded, taking the place of the historic club in the Primeira Liga. That, however, was the only thing they inherited – the Estadio do Restelo was left in the possession of C.F. Os Belenenses, as well as all the historic achievements – including the 1946 league title. Meanwhile, the club founded in 1919 were registered as an amateur club, competing in Portugal’s sixth division.

Therefore, all that Belenenses SAD have to show for themselves so far is last season’s ninth place in the league, reaching the fourth round of the national cup (Taca de Portugal), and the third round of the League Cup.

Santa Clara History

Founded in 1921, Santa Clara are best known in Portugal by their connection with Benfica, the country’s most successful club. In fact, the two teams shared the same crest until quite recently.

Santa Clara first requested to be admitted to the Football Association in the summer of 1927, and they played their first official game later that year. They earned promotion to the Primeira Liga for the first time in their history in 1999, but were relegated instantly. They came back up in 2001, and that was the first time they linked two seasons in the top tier. The 2002/03 season saw them break into a European competition – UEFA’s Intertoto Cup, where they managed to beat Armenian side FC Shirak in the first round, before being knocked out by Teplice from the Czech Republic. They ended up relegated again in 2003, and only came back in 2018.

Famalicao History

The full name of the club is Futebol Clube de Famalicao, and they were founded in August 1931, by a group of six people. Their first stadium was called the Campo de Berberia, which hosted their maiden match against FC Porto in 1932.

Their first participation in an official competition was the 1932/33 Regional Promotion Championship, which they ended up winning at the first of trying.

Over the course of their 87-year history, this season is only the seventh time they’ve reached the top tier. They managed it in 1946/47, 1978/79, and in four consecutive campaigns between 1990 and 1994. Just like before and in between these moments of bliss, their journey was a colourful one since then. They shifted gears and went through the Segunda Divisao (second tier), Segunda Divisao B (third tier), Terceira Divisao (fourth tier), and their lowest point was a year in the Regional Honour League (fifth tier) in 2008/09. Then they started climbing gradually back, and have found themselves rewarded with a place back in the Primeira Liga in 2019/20.

As said above, their main concern will be to stay up, and they’ll likely consider the season a success if they manage to do that small thing. As for the Taca de Portugal (Portuguese Cup), their best result came in 2000/01, when they were playing in the Segunda Divisao B and still managed to reach the quarterfinals of the competition.

Gil Vicente History

In the spring of 1924, in the city of Barcelos, a group of friends were playing football near a theatre that bore the name of a Portuguese playwright – Gil Vicente. Inspired by the formation of Barcelos Sporting Club and Uniao Football Club Barcelense, they founded their own club and named it Gil Vicente Football Barcelense.

The club struggled greatly through the decades since then, starting immediately with trying to find a pitch to play on. However, their efforts were rewarded in 1990, when they finally reached the top tier for the first time. Apart from between 1997 and 1999, the club mostly managed to maintain their top-flight status until the events in 2006 which saw them relegated for allegedly fielding an ineligible player – Angolan striker Mateus. The club were accused of illegally resolving the matter of Mateus’ contract with his former employers FC Lixa. As a result of their relegation, Belenenses, who were supposed to go down, were allowed to stay up.

It was precisely that act that has now been overruled in court, granting Gil Vicente their return to the Primeira Liga this season. Justice appears to have been done now, and it remains to be seen where the club will go from here.

Benfica History

Benfica were founded back in 1904, and the full name of the club is Sport Lisboa e Benfica. As has already been pointed out, they’ve won 37 league titles so far – the most in the country by some distance. The Portuguese league as such began in 1934. Having finished in third place in its maiden season, Benfica then won the title three times in a row and their days of glory began. The pinnacle of their history to this day came in the 60s. Managed by the legendary Bela Guttman, they won the 1960 and 1961 European Cup and played in three more finals. They also won eight league titles in that decade, and they received the France Football European Team of the Year award in 1968.

Benfica continued dominating the Portuguese scene throughout the 70s and the 80s, but that’s where financial problems started creeping up on them. In the early 90s, Porto also established themselves as a force to be reckoned with, winning 18 titles since then. Now, the rivalry between them is very fierce, though Sporting continue to hover near the top as well.

Boavista History

Boavista FC were established in 1903 by English brothers Harry and Dick Lowe. Their early form was that of mostly factory workers playing against each other, but they soon started playing matches against other clubs in an organized fashion. Their early years were affected by religious differences between the local English population and the native Portuguese, as they suffered even worse during the World War I.

The club played in the second tier as the Primeira Liga was launched in 1934, but they quickly won promotion and joined the elite the very next year. However, the best they managed to do before 1970 was fifth place in 1952. But the 70s were the years of success, with Boavista finishing fourth and winning the Taca de Portugal (the Portuguese Cup) in 1975. The following season they even managed to disturb the rule of the Great Three by finishing second, and they successfully defended the Cup.

But their best ever achievement came in 2003, when they surprised the football world and actually won the PrimeiraLiga title. However, they’ve fallen significantly since then, with the Big Three firmly dominating the scene once more.

Aves History

The club was formed in November, 1930, in the town of Vila das Aves in the municipality of Santo Tirso, which is located in the north of the country, some 25km from Porto. They have spent most of their time so far playing in the second tier of Portuguese football, finishing more often than not in the higher regions of the table and occasionally making short forays into the Primeira Liga. Rarely have they been able to maintain a top-flight status for long, and this being their third consecutive season among the country’s elite can be considered a huge success in itself.

However, in 2017/18 they really outdid themselves in the Taca de Portugal (Portuguese Cup), and won the first and the only trophy in their history so far by beating the third most decorated clubs in Portugal, Sporting Lisbon, in the final. It seems to be a sign that things have been done the right way at the club, and that they have become a side that can cause an upset when least expected.

Nonetheless, it’s hard to imagine them fighting for anything other than survival, and that alone would be a great achievement seeing how they haven’t ever been a club of financial power.

Maritimo History

The club was founded in September, 1910, under the name of Club Portugues de Sport Maritimo. They dominated the regional competitions early on, but in the 1930s, they faced a severe financial crisis. When the Primeira Liga was established in 1934, clubs outside of the continental part of the country weren’t allowed to participate, but they were included in the Taca de Portugal (Portuguese Cup) from 1938/39.

It took years of heavy discussions with the Portuguese Football Federation for the winners of the regional competitions to be allowed to compete nation-wide. As the winners of the Madeira regional competition of 1972/73, Maritimo were included in a qualifying round with the last of the II Divisao and the winner of the III Divisao and came out on top, to become the first club from an island to compete in the national championship. In 1977, the club won the II Divisao and earned promotion to the Primeira Liga for the first time, managing to stay there for three seasons.

In the early 80s, they moved several times between the top two tiers, and not until the 90s did they establish themselves as a regular Primeira Liga side. In 1993/94, they played in their first European competition as they reached the UEFA Cup.

They’ve repeated that success eight times since then, and they’ll be hoping to qualify again at the end of 2019/20.

Sporting History

Founded in 1906, Sporting Clube de Portugal, Sporting CP or simply Sporting Lisbon to the world outside Portugal, have never been relegated from the Primeira Liga since its inception in 1934. Apart from their 18 league titles, they’ve won the Portuguese Cup (Taca de Portugal) 17 times, and the 1964 European Cup Winners’ Cup.

Sporting were the dominant force in Portuguese football from the late 40s, all the way into the early 80s, and that’s the period when most of their trophies were won. However, they’ve only won the league twice since 1982, allowing both Benfica and Porto to get away from them with the title count.

Still considered a big club in the country, Sporting have some catching up to do if they are to keep that status from gradually fading away.

Moreirense History

Moreirense FC was founded in 1938. It was relatively stable in terms of its status as a top flight club all the way until 1995, when they first suffered relegation. They came back in 2002, and under the command of Manuel Machado, they re-established themselves as a regular mid-table side in the Primeira Liga.

But after Machados left to join Guimaraes, the real troubles began for Moreirense. They suffered consecutive relegations, and it took them four years to return to the second division, and then another two to make it back into the top flight. They were relegated again in 2013, however, but earned promotion straight away and haven’t left the league since.

The sixth place finish last season that surprised many, was actually their best league result ever, but they will still have to do a bit more to earn a place in a European competition. But that success wasn’t the only surprise they have managed to pull off so far. In 2017, they won the League Cup (Taca de Liga), the only piece of national silverware that their 81-year history has seen, and t just may be that it has given their team somesignificant motivation for the upcoming years.

Vitoria Setubal History

Among the older clubs in the country, Vitoria Setubal, its original name being Sport Victoria, was founded in November 1910. The club’s full name today is Vitoria Futebol Clube, though it is most often referred to as Vitoria Setubal.

Taking the Great Three (Benfica, Sporting Lisbon and FC Porto) out of the equation, they are actually among the most decorated clubs in Portugal. They have three Taca de Portugal (Portuguese Cup) trophies on their shelves, coupled with a Taca de Liga (League Cup) and two minor international trophies (Small Club World Cup and Iberian Cup).

In 1965, they won their first Taca de Portugal and made a brief appearance in the Cup Winners’ Cup the following season. They almost repeated the feat in 1966, but ended up losing to Braga in the final. They did, however, succeed again in 1967. Their best league finish came in 1973/74 when they ended up in third place, just four points short of champions Sporting Lisbon.

Setubal struggled from the mid-80s for about two decades, during which time they traveled up and down a few tiers of Portuguese football, before returning to the Primeira Liga in 2004. They remain there ever since, but in their first season back they won the Taca de Portugal for the third time, beating Benfica again in the final.

Tondela History

Clube Desportivo de Tondela came to be as a result of the process of merging two clubs from the village of Tondela – Tondela Football Club and the Operario Atletico Clube. For nearly 80 years their existence was barely noticed on the scales of a wider football world.

The 2012/13 season was their first ever as a professional club, and having spent decades floating between various lower divisions in a constantly changing system, they secured a place in the Primeira Liga for the very first time in 2015. It took a last-minute goal directly from a free-kick, scored by Andre Carvalhas, to clinch them the top spot in the second division.

Since then, it’s been nothing but hard work for them to stay up there. The maiden season in the top flight saw them finish just one point above the relegated Uniao da Madeira. They came even closer to the drop the following season, surviving on goal-difference by bettering Arouca by a single goal. As has been said already, 2017/18 was their best league campaign ever as they finished 11th, and they scraped through again by finishing 15th out of 18 teams last season, it being the first which saw three teams relegated.

There is very little doubt that survival will be their only goal for a long while yet, including this season. If they can manage to do that little thing, that little thing that certainly seems huge from their perspective, and establish themselves as a stable top-tier side, they might even consider going for the next step.