Can one of Braga or Sporting win the Primeira Liga?

Sporting have made a very strong start to the league campaign, unbeaten after 5 games and sitting just 2 points behind SL Benfica at the summit, while Braga have seemingly found their form after a slow start to the season. But can either go on to mount a serious title challenge - and deliver Primeira Liga glory to their loyal supporters?

Sporting have four wins and a draw to their name domestically, and have shown the type of resilience in the face of adversity that is required to garner success. After getting knocked out of the Europa League by Austrian outfit LASK prior to the group stage even getting underway, Sporting were dealt a massive blow before fans had even prepared themselves for the new campaign.

But they managed to push that humbling elimination to the back of their minds and have rebounded in the perfect manner. Wins over Pacos de Ferreira, Portimonense, Santa Clara and Gil Vicente may not sound particularly impressive, but they were made to work for those victories, particularly against both Santa Clara and Gil Vicente, and managed to secure late wins in both. Three of those fixtures were also away from home.

Perhaps even more crucial to Sporting, though, is that they have already secured a draw against FC Porto early on in the campaign, scoring a late equaliser in their encounter with the reigning Portuguese champions in a 2-2 thriller. Though not a victory, it is a big step in the right direction, having lost all four league matches played against Porto and Benfica last season, while the head to head record of the clubs at the top can often be vital in determining the order in which the clubs finish and who secured European qualification.

Last season, for example, Sporting’s worse head-to-head record against Braga was all that cost them 3rd place in the league and an automatic Europa Legaue group stage spot. Drawing against one of their direct rivals is therefore often more than just a point, particularly when you snatch the leveller late on in the game.

Sporting have proven their ability to work until the final whistle and score late on, and there is clearly a belief that they can win even when the clock is against them, while they also have a settled team, with a clear strategy and formation in place, and a talented manager who has quickly established his preferred starting lineup. Though fans may oppose some of the decisions made by those running the club in the boardroom, there are at least some reasons to be optimistic for the rest of the campaign.

Braga, meanwhile, made a poor start to the season - defeats to Porto and Santa Clara in the first two games left them languishing at the bottom of the table after two games had been played - but they have responded perfectly with 4 wins in 4, three of which came in the league against Tondela, Nacional and arch-rivals Vitoria Guimaraes.

Though they do already find themselves 6 points behind Benfica at the top of the table, the season has barely started, and there is more than enough time to mount a serious title challenge should they continue their excellent vein of form.

At this point last season, for example, Braga had just 4 points on the board, while it took them 9 games to surpass the 9 point tally that they have already obtained this campaign. They were even stuck down in 8th place on 18 points in the league standings as far into the competition as the 14th gameweek last season, before rallying to secure an impressive 3rd place finish in their final match of the campaign. So there are significant positives for supporters to believe they can have an extremely strong season.

Additionally, with the experienced Carlos Carvalhal at the helm, and having kept the entirety of their first-team squad together - other than Francisco Trincao, whose departure for Barcelona was known long before the summer transfer window opened - they boast a wealth of quality, having even recruited shrewdly in the market, signing Andre Castro, Al Musrati and Nico Gaitan, among others, to complement their squad.

Title challengers?

But is it realistic to expect either of Sporting or Braga to continue performing to a consistently high standard and securing positive results with great regularity between now and the end of the season? Are they serious title challengers? In truth, probably not, and they are still seen as clear outsiders.

After all, the Portuguese league has been won exclusively by either Benfica or Porto in each of the last 18 seasons; Sporting have not lifted the biggest prize in Portuguese football in nearly two decades, while Braga have never been able to get their hands on the Primeira Liga trophy.

It should also be mentioned that all 4 games Sporting have won this season were also won by the Lisbon club last season - and they were actually more emphatic in their victories last term too. This campaign, they have beaten Pacos de Ferreira, Portimonense, Santa Clara and Gil Vicente with an overall goal difference of +6; last season, they beat the same 4 teams in the same fixtures with a +8 goal difference. So there is reason to be cautious when reading into the solid campaign Sporting have endured so far.

Benfica remain the clear favourites to win the title - not only because they have started the season in the perfect manner, but also because of the significant investment the club made in the summer transfer window to reclaim the title and compete on the European stage.

But Braga and Sporting should be far more competitive this time around - and actually have a realistic shot of clutching the Portuguese league trophy come the end of the season if they maintain their current form over the next 7 months.