GENEVA (AP) — What keeps Porto ahead of Benfica in the race for the Portuguese title is the rivalry between Andre Villas-Boas and his former mentor Jose Mourinho.
Porto is back after a two-year hiatus, with Villas-Boas taking over as president of the club he coached in league and cup competitions as a boy. 3 Europa League titles In 2011, when I was 33 years old.
With four matches remaining, Porto are seven points behind Mourinho’s Benfica, while Sporting are one point behind with one game remaining, meaning they could finish third in the domestic league despite being undefeated.
Portugal is one of the more interesting title contests in Europe outside of the top five footballing powers as it reaches its final stages.
Scotland has been in a close three-way battle for first place for many years Hearts aiming for first title in 66 years They are ahead of Rangers and Celtic.
of Toon’s recent promotion is making great progress. On Saturday, they could win the first Swiss title in the club’s 128-year history.
The Turkish league looks set to miss out on Fenerbahce for the 12th consecutive year if Galatasaray can avoid defeat in Sunday’s Istanbul derby game. Galatasaray are leading by 4 points with 4 matches remaining.
Villas-Boas and Mourinho
Andre Villas-Boas’ precocious talent saw him join Jose Mourinho’s coaching staff at the age of 24 at Porto, where he won the UEFA Cup and Champions League in successive seasons, followed by Chelsea and Inter Milan.
Villas-Boas followed a similar path in his own coaching career, playing at Porto, then Chelsea, then Tottenham, Zenit St. Petersburg and Marseille until 2021.
At the age of 46, he was elected president of his closest club.
“I’m proud of my story at Porto,” Villas-Boas told Italian daily Gazzetta dello Sport this week. “We would like to continue to provide even more satisfaction to our fans.”
Despite Benfica hiring Mourinho in September, his second season looks set to bring Porto their first league title in four years. It was three weeks later Mourinho leaves Fenerbahce After losing in the Champions League qualifying play-off at Benfica.
“We are competing for the championship, but we respect each other,” Villas-Boas told Gazzetta. “Mourinho has taught me a lot and we sometimes exchange messages.”
run towards the title
Porto need six points from four games in a row, but have zero points against their main rivals. It starts on Sunday at Estrela da Amadora.
This is not the first time they have chased down undefeated Benfica to become champions. Porto thus topped the table in 1978, losing just one game.
The key to Porto’s season is a 41-year-old defender and a 37-year-old coach.
Thiago Silva returned from Brazil mid-season to extend his storied career with the club he first left in 2005.
Francesco Faglioli has definitely rebuilt his reputation after coaching Ajax. spectacular collapse In last year’s Dutch league, they had a nine-point lead over PSV Eindhoven in the final five matches.
Villas-Boas said of Farioli: “I want him to win even more than I won in Porto.” “He is the coach who will take us into the future.”
The decline of Salzburg
Like Porto, Salzburg also participated in the Club World Cup last June, and both teams qualified after solid performances in the Champions League this past season, which masked the relative decline of domestic football.
Salzburg’s 10-year run for the Austrian title comes to an end in 2023, with the Red Bull-backed club having now lost both home games to start the Championship play-off section led by Sturm Graz.
My heart stops in Scotland
It’s shaping up to be a historic season for Heart of Midlothian. Only Glasgow giants Celtic and Rangers have won the Scottish league in the past 40 seasons, with Hearts last bringing the title to Edinburgh in 1960.
Hearts have been top of the table after every game, except for a few days in August. However, the top spots in the 12-team division are very close, and the top six teams will face off once again.
Hearts led Rangers by one point and Celtic by three. Rangers are in good form but must visit Hearts and Celtic in back-to-back games from May 4th to 10th. Hearts will face Celtic on the final day, May 16th.
The Old Firm duopoly began with a heartbreaking final day in 1986. Hearts had been top of the table for months and remained so with 10 minutes left in the season before conceding two late goals against Dundee. This will give Celtic the title on goal difference and Hearts will be keen to lift this historic weight.
The era of toon has come
A 14-point lead with five rounds remaining — Thun is on the verge of becoming the unlikeliest Swiss champion.
Mauro Rustrinelli’s side host Lugano on Saturday and need a win to seal the club’s first title since it was founded in 1898. Second-placed St. Gallen will play Young Boys on Sunday.
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