Rui Borges insisted Sporting CP still believe they can win a third straight Primeira Liga title as they aim to boost their chances with a win over Benfica on Sunday.

Sporting sit second in the table, five points behind leaders Porto, with a game in hand, and they have lost just once in the Primeira Liga this term, all the way back in August.

Since then, they are unbeaten in 24 games (W19 D5), winning each of their last three, though they come into this game after being knocked out of the Champions League quarter-finals, losing 1-0 on aggregate to Arsenal, but Borges says confidence at the club remains high.

Asked if Sporting believe in the three-peat, Borges said: "They believe in it, and they show it a lot.

"We're not always going to win 4-1, 3-0. We'll also win 1-0; it's better to win than not to win. The team showed great character in Amadora, demonstrating our ambition.

"And the game against Arsenal also has to motivate us; everything we were able to do against a great European team has to motivate us to demand more from ourselves domestically.

"Sometimes we'll make mistakes, it's part of the game, but as long as the energy and ambition are there, and they've shown that, everything is fine and things are closer to going well."

Benfica, meanwhile, sit two points behind Sporting in third, having played a game more, and they remain the only team in the league yet to lose this season.

Jose Mourinho has already ruled them out of the title fight, citing too many draws, but they would leapfrog Sporting with a win.

Mourinho is unbeaten in all seven league games against Sporting (W4 D3), and he is relishing the chance to face them in another derby with Benfica.

"A derby is a derby, there's no need for extra motivation, regardless of standings and objectives," he said.

"If it were in the summer in the Algarve tournament, it would still be a derby too. I enjoy playing them; I know the difficulties, but I also know the pleasure of playing games of this magnitude.

"The objectives are the same as always, to win and obviously respect the nature and essence of what a derby is; they are among the games that least concern me in terms of motivation, focus, and the will to play."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Sporting CP – Luis Suarez

Luis Suarez has taken 112 shots in the Primeira Liga this season, the most of any player, whilst it is also the fifth-most on record for a Sporting player in a single season (since 2014-15), despite still having five matches left to play.

He is Sporting's top-scorer this season, netting 24 goals, at least 11 more than Pote, who is second on the list.

Benfica – Vangelis Pavlidis

Despite being Benfica's top scorer with 21 goals this term, Vangelis Pavlidis has scored just once in his last seven matches in the Primeira Liga.

He boasts the best shot conversion rate of any player to score more than twice (24.4%), having got 44 of his 86 shots on target this season.

MATCH PREDICTION: SPORTING CP WIN

Sporting CP are unbeaten in each of their last four Primeira Liga matches against Benfica (W2 D2), and they could go five without a defeat in this fixture for the first time since October 1996 (a run of five).

And they are strong on home soil. Sporting have won all of their last nine home Primeira Liga matches by a combined scoreline of 29-3.

They are aiming to win 10 straight home league games in a single season for the first time since the 2023-24 season, when Sporting won all 17 home games under Ruben Amorim.

Benfica, meanwhile, come into this match unbeaten in the Primeira Liga this season (P29 – W20 D9) and could go unbeaten across their first 30 league games of a season for the first time since 1977-78, a season in which, despite going invincible across the entire league campaign, Porto won the league.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Sporting CP – 50.8%

Draw – 25%

Benfica – 24.2%