The Benfica hosts Sporting at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon for the 33rd and penultimate round of the Primeira Liga. Both Lisbon rivals are tied at 78 points. Sporting, the national champions, can retain their title with a win or maintain the top position with a draw, while Benfica can reclaim the crown by winning by two or more goals.
Foreseeing the potential national championship victory for Sporting or Benfica, PS, AD, and Iniciativa Liberal have scheduled their campaign activities to avoid overlapping with the 90-minute derby match.
A source from PS confirmed that various activities are set for Saturday, including stops in Santo Tirso, Vila Nova de Famalicão, and Bragança, with the rally concluding before the match begins. The derby was considered in the campaign planning.
The AD party plans to end even earlier, with the final event being a lunch in Famalicão. The liberals are following a similar path, concluding their agenda by lunchtime. In the morning, from 11 a.m., the party will hold a “sporty morning” at Santo Amaro Beach in Oeiras.
Activities organized by the Livre party will also not coincide with the major match of the 33rd round of the Primeira Liga, with the last stop on Saturday scheduled for 3 p.m. for a visit and meeting with YouthCoop in Cacém.
The Chega party has an agenda that will coincide with the end of the derby between Benfica and Sporting, starting the day with a rally in Vila Real before moving to Viseu for a scheduled dinner at 8 p.m., with no changes planned.
PAN, CDU, and the Bloco de Esquerda have chosen to focus their presence in the north of the country on Saturday afternoon, also not altering plans due to the Lisbon derby. The CDU begins in Guimarães and will be in Porto in the afternoon, concluding the day with a rally at Campanhã station.
The Bloco de Esquerda will be at the Association of Bouça Residents in Porto for an event between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., with a party source noting, “there was never a plan for Mariana Mortágua to intervene during the game.” PAN will move from a street action in Lisbon to Paredes to watch a women’s handball game at 2:30 p.m., then proceed to Paços de Ferreira at 4 p.m., and Porto at 7 p.m.
If neither rival secures the championship on Saturday at the Estádio da Luz, focus will shift to the final round, scheduled for the election weekend of May 18, when Sporting hosts Vitória de Guimarães and Benfica visits Sporting de Braga.
