Portuguese Clubs rank high in members

Portuguese clubs rank high in members according to futebolfinance.com as the Big three of Portugal all sit in the Top 10 for members as of August/09. Benfica continues to lead the globe in supporters/members with 171,000 paid members while FC Porto sit fifth with 115,000 and Sporting are seventh with 96,000 members.

Top 10 Clubs by members

1- BENFICA (Por) 171,000
2- Barcelona (Spa) 163,000
3- Man United (Eng) 151,000
4- Bayern Munich (Ger) 146,000
5- FC PORTO (Por) 115,000
6- Internacional (Bra) 100,000
7- SPORTING (Por) 96,000
8- Real Madrid (Spa) 92,000
9- River Plate (Arg) 82,000
10- Schalke 04 (Ger) 72,000

Top 10 Clubs by members in Portugal

1- BENFICA 171,000
2- FC PORTO 115,000
3- SPORTING 96,000
4- GUIMARAES 30,000
5- ACADEMICA 21,000
6- BRAGA 20,000
7- SETUBAL 19,000
8- BELENENSES 18,000
9- BOAVISTA 17,000
10- MARITIMO 10,000


Note: Sporting has now hit 100,000 this season

Edgar looks to win the Golden Boot

Nacional's striker Edgar is looking to capture the Golden Boot in Portugal awarded to the league's top scorer. The 22 year old sits in second spot with nine goals trailing Benfica's league leader Cardozo by five goals after 14 games played. Edgar is hoping to have an even bigger second half of the season to catch Cardozo who is in fine form this season

Portugal World Cup success could lie in midfield

Portugal continue to prepare for World Cup 2010 in South Africa and one of the major keys to Portuguese success could lay in the middle of the field. Portugal will need a big performance by key players Cristiano Ronaldo and Simao as well as their starting striker to succeed but the key to the Portuguese attack could lay in the middle of the pitch. Portugal coach Carlos Quieroz knows that to take pressure of the Portuguese wingers and assist in moving the ball up to their starting striker that Portugal will need to get the most out of the midfield center position. This spot is currently occupied by Deco with a host of others waiting in the wings looking to take that starting role. We take a look at the players the Quieroz will be looking to step up and help take the reins in the Portuguese center midfield position.

The candidates are:

Deco (Cheslea) 32 years old
Portugal stats- 71 Caps, 5 goals

Deco will look to retain his starting spot as the World Cup approaches and when healthy is a very dangerous attacking midfielder is getting up in age and this may be his last major tournament.

Joao Moutinho (Sporting) 23 years old
Portugal stats- 15 Caps, 1 goal

Moutinho's skill continues to rise and he is on the cusp looking over Deco's shoulder, the Sporting captain is making Queiroz's decision difficult.

Tiago (Juventus) 28 years old
Portugal stats- 48 Caps, 1 goal

Tiago continues to look for regular playing time with Juventus, a move away could help his case for a starting spot in the center midfield, talented hard working player when given a chance.

Danny (Zenit) 26 years old
Portugal stats- 8 Caps, 1 goal

Danny is recovering from an injury but he should be recovered in time to get some fitness before the World Cup begins. Danny is the darkhorse of the Group but does possess the most skill at this time from the four and Queiroz will be tempting to give him the start.

Hulk and Sapunaru facing long suspensions

FC Porto players Hulk and Sapunaru face disciplinary from the Portuguese League concerning their actions after the game on Sunday against Benfica. Hulk and Sapunaru pushed a security guard in the tunnel after the game, when the guard told them that they were not allowed to exit from the field the way they were heading. The Disciplinary commission could come down hard on both players on their conduct with Hulk facing anywhere from 6 months to 3 years suspension and Sapunaru facing anywhere from 1 to 6 years. The players will meet with the commission early in the new year to decide their fate.

Sporting and Braga agree on deal for Joao Pereira

Sporting and Braga have come to an agreement on 25 year old right back Joao Pereira. Pereira has signed a four and half year contract with the Lions in a deal that looks to have cost Sporting about $3 million. Sporting will be the fourth team that Pereira has played for in Portugal, the other being Braga, Gil Vicente and Benfica.

Leixoes and Olhanense end week with a draw

Leixoes and Olhanense end Week 14 with a 2-2 draw tonight in Portugal. The game was a back and forth affair as Pouga gave Leixoes the lead before Rabiola tied the game just before the half. Leixoes once again took the lead when Cintra scored to make the game 2-1 but Olhanense was able to equalize once again before the end of the game when Castro got one past the Leixoes stopper.

Benfica and FC Porto prepare for "O Classico"

Benfica and FC Porto get set for Portugal's "O Classico" at the Estadio da Luz at 20:15 WEST. The two winningest clubs in Portuguese History face off for the first time this season. Benfica sit currently in second spot with Porto one point back, as both teams continue to chase surprise league leader Braga. Benfica will need a win in this game to move even in points with Braga after the latter won their Week 14 game on Friday, while a Porto victory would vault them into second spot a point back of Braga.

Players to Watch:

Oscar Cardozo (Benfica)- The league leader in goals with 14, has gelled well with striking partner Javier Saviola.

Hulk (FC Porto)- The big Brazilian is always dangerous and tends to score the big goals in big games, Benfica will do well if they contain his attack.

Last Five Meetings at the Estadio da Luz:

2008/09 Draw 1-1
2007/08 FC Porto win 1-0
2006/07 Draw 1-1
2005/06 Benfica win 1-0
2004/05 FC Porto win 1-0

Sporting win to get back on track

Sporting get a big win after back to back losses in the Portuguese League and Europa League. Sporting got a marker by Carlos Saleiro in the 35th minute and it was all they needed as they hung on for the 1-0 victory over Naval. The victory moves Sporting into fourth place for the time being as Week 14 continues tomorrow.

Benfica in talks with Genoa's Marco Amelia

Benfica is said to be in talks with Genoa for their keeper Marco Amelia. Benfica are hoping to land him in the January transfer window. The 27 year old keeper is said to want out of Genoa and Benfica look to provide the keeper with a way out. Amelia was the third string keeper for Italy in the 2006 World Cup and second string keeper in Euro 2008 and is said by many to be one of the best keepers in Italy.

Braga win to stay on top

Braga defeat Pacos Ferreira to stay atop Portugal for at least another week. Meyong scored the lone goal of the game at 45th minute mark and Braga will wait to see what Benfica does against Porto tomorrow to see if they will have company or sit alone.

UEFA draws next round of games for Portuguese Team

UEFA has made there draw today for the Champions League and Europa League. FC Porto will take on English club Arsenal in the Round of 16 action in the Champions League with games taking place on Feb 17/10 and Mar 9/10 while Benfica will play against Hertha Berlin and Sporting face Everton in Europa League action with games taking place on Feb 18/10 and Feb 23/10 and Feb 25/10

Benfica avenge loss in Europa League

Benfica rounded off their Group stage with a 2-1 victory over AEK Athens avenging their only loss in the Group to the Greek squad. Jorge Jesus rested most of his regular starting squad for this game as Benfica had already clinched top spot in the Group and a place in the Round of 32. Benfica got a brace from Angel Di Maria (who will not play against Porto this weekend due to a red card) at the 45th and 73rd minute before Blanco replied for AEK just before the game was finished. Benfica and Sporting will now await tomorrow's draw to find out who they will face in the Round of 32 Europa League play.

Nacional win big, Sporting lose in Europa League

Nacional ended their Europa League campaign with a big victory in Madeira over Austria Wien. Nacional who ended up finishing third in their group and out of the knockout stage fell behind early when Schumacher scored in the 21st minute but Nacional came screaming back with Ruben Micael scoring in the 23rd and 57th minutes and Mateus, Tomasevic and Felipe Lopes all scoring singles on their way to a 5-1 victory. While over in Berlin, Sporting who rested some starters lost to lowly Hertha Berlin who sit in last spot in the German Bundesliga 1-0 when Kacar scored in the 70th minute as both teams advanced to the knockout Round of 32.

Ramires and Aimar receive treatment for injuries

Benfica midfielders Ramires and Pablo Aimar received treatment today as the Eagles prepare for their final game of the UEFA Europa League on Thursday and then "O Classico" against FC Porto on Sunday. Ramires picked up a knee sprain in this past weekends game against Olhanense while Aimar has a left thigh injury which kept him out of this past weekends game. Benfica will likely field a weaker squad in their Europa League game as the club has already clinched first spot in their respective group, Benfica will look to save their regular starters for the big game against Porto this weekend.

FC Porto close ground on league leaders

FC Porto have closed the gap on league leader Benfica and Braga after a 2-0 victory today over last place Setubal. FC Porto got first half goals from Ernesto Farias and Varela and it was all they needed in this home victory. Porto now trail Benfica and Braga by one point for the league lead and will take on Benfica in the next round of Superliga action at the Estadio da Luz

Nuno Gomes saves face for Benfica

Nuno Gomes scored a big marker for Benfica in the 90th plus minute to save face for the Eagles as they took on Olhanense in the Algarve. Olhanense opened the scoring when a Benfica header went wayward and right to Olhanense's Fernandes who headed it past Quim. Benfica then brought the score back to even when Javier Saviola knocked in a corner kick. Olhanense regained the lead before the half when T. Costa headed a ball past the Benfica keeper on a set play. The first half also saw the referee hand out two red cards, one to each team. Olhanense's Djalmir and Benfica's Angel Di Maria were both ejected from the game. Di Maria will now miss Benfica's crucial clash next weekend against FC Porto. The second half saw Olhanense play a more defensive game and Benfica were unable to crack the defense until Jorge Jesus brought in Nuno Gomes who scored the equalizer with little or no time in the game.

In earlier action Uniao de Leiria shocked Sporting with a 1-0 victory at the Estadio Avalade when Vinicious scored in the first half and Sporting were unable to get anything back on equal footing

World Cup 2010 Coaches salaries

We take a look at the coaches salaries from World Cup 2010 qualifying teams, thanks to FutebolFinance a portuguese site.

	Coach		Annual Salary			Coach		Annual Salary
1	Fabio Capello	ENG	8,800,000 €		17	Marcelo Bielsa	CHI	575.000 €
2	Marcelo Lippi	ITA	3,000,000 €		18	Raymond Domenech	FRA	560.000 €
3	Joachim Low	GER	2,500,000 €		19	Vahdi Halilhodzic	IC	505.000 €
4	Berter Van Marwijk	NED	1.800.000 €		20	Hun Jung Moo	SK	405.000 €
5	Ottmar Hitzfeld	SWI	1.750.000 €		21	Morten Olsen	DEN	390.000 €
6	Vicente Del Bosque	SPA	1.500.000 €		22	Milovan Rajevac	GAN	365.000 €
7	Carlos Queiroz	POR	1.350.000 €		23	Radomir Antic	SER	305.000 €
8	Pim Verbeek	AUS	1.200.000 €		24	Bob Bradley	USA	275.000 €
9	Carlos Parreira	SA	1.200.000 €		25	Majtaz Kek	SLO	245.000 €
10	Javier Aguirre	MEX	1.200.000 €		26	Gerardo Martino	PAR	245.000 €
11	Carlos Dunga	BRA	800.000 €		27	Rabah Saadane	ALG	245.000 €
12	Diego Maradona	ARG	800.000 €		28	Reinaldo Rueda	HON	240.000 €
13	Takeshi Okada	JPN	800.000 €		29	Vladimir Weiss	SLK	215.000 €
14	Ricki Herbert	NZL	800.000 €		30	Oscar Tabarez	URU	205.000 €
15	Otto Rehhagel	GRE	750.000 €		31	Kim Jong Hun	NK	170.000 €
16	Paul Le Guen	CAM	650.000 €		32	Shaibu Amodu	NIG	125.000 €

Pacos hand Nacional surprise loss

Pacos Ferreira opened Week 13 with a surprise win over 4th place Nacional, giving the visiting a dent in their hopes as the chase the league leaders. Pacos opened the scoring just before the end of the first half when William scored with a blast into the left corner at the 41st minute. Nacional brought the game back to even when Amuneke tap in the ball at the 54th minute but Pacos regained the lead when William picked up a loose ball and kicked it into an empty net for his second of the game in the 62nd minute giving Pacos the surprising 2-1 victory

PSNL Fans looking at Nuno Gomes so far

Portuguese Fans that have visited our site over the last few days have taken to the Portugal striker situation and placed their choice on our poll and review of which striker should be added to the Portugal roster along with shoe-ins Hugo Almeida and Liedson. Benfica striker Nuno Gomes is the favoured choice at the moment with 31% of the vote followed by Kayserispor's Makukula at 20% and Sporting's Helder Postiga at 18%. The poll will run for another week so get your vote in.

Click Here if you missed the Article on Portugal's striker situation or to take the poll

FC Porto win last game of the Group Stage

FC Porto closed off the Group Stage of the Champions League with a sound victory over Atletico. Porto started quick when Bruno Alves in the 2nd minute and Falcao in the 14th minute gave the visitors a two goal lead, Atletico could not recover. Hulk added a late marker to seal the 3-0 victory and Porto will now wait for the draw by UEFA to find out who they will face in the Round of 16.

Sporting and Nacional win to close out Week 12

Sporting and Nacional closed out Week 12 in Portugal with victories today. Sporting got a brace from Liedson as they defeated last place Setubal. The win moves Sporting into sole position of 6th place in the Superliga (Liga Sagres). Nacional defeated U. Leiria 2-1 with goals from Edgar and F. Lopes while Leiria's reply was from Pateiro. Nacional sit 4th in the league eight points out of first spot and five points away from third.

Benfica win moves them back to the top

Benfica got a big victory over Academica to move back into a tie for top spot with Braga. Benfica dominated the game against Academica and continued their scoring outbursts with a 4-0 victory at home. Oscar Cardozo scored a hat trick to add to his overall goal lead in the Portuguese League, he now sits at 14 goals in 12 games. Javier Saviola got the other marker his 5th of the season. Cardozo and Saviola continue to be a lethal attack and Benfica and Braga sit atop the league with 29 points, three ahead of third place Porto.

Braga get late marker to earn point

Braga get a late marker from Alan at the 89th minute to salvage a point on the road against Leixoes. Braga was held off the scoresheet for most of the game and it was Leixoes who struck first in the first half when Moises scored into his own net. Braga falter could be Benfica's gain as the Eagles look to move back into a first place tie with a victory tomorrow against Academica.

Portugal to face Brazil in possible Group of Death

The World Group Draws have come and gone and the Portuguese look to have seen themselves placed in what many are calling the dreaded Group of Death. Portugal has been placed in Group G with fellow portuguese speaking nation Brazil, a game that will have both nations on the each of their seats for most of the match and leading up to it. The tensions will be high around World between people from these two nations. The Group also has Africa's most potent team in the Ivory Coast and the unknown squad from North Korea.

The World Cup Group Breakdown:

Group A- South Africa, France, Uruguay, Mexico
Group B- Argentina, Greece, South Korea, Nigeria
Group C- England, Slovenia, Algeria, USA
Group D- Germany, Serbia, Australia, Ghana
Group E- Netherlands, Denmark, Cameroon, Japan
Group F- Italy, Slovakia, New Zealand, Paraguay
Group G- Brazil, PORTUGAL, Ivory Coast, North Korea
Group H- Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile

Porto open Week 12 with a big win

FC Porto opened Week 12 with a big victory over Guimaraes to place pressure on Benfica and Braga in the Superliga (Liga Sagres). Porto jumped to an early 2-0 lead when Varela and Falcao scored in the first 30 minutes. Guimaraes got one back at the 45th minute mark Andrezinho but it was to be as close as the Northern squad would come as Porto scored twice more in the second half. Bruno Alves and Cristian Rodriguez gave Porto a commanding 4-1 lead and final victory over Guimaraes.

Portugal's World Cup striker situation

Portugal is getting set for the World Cup Group Draw today in South Africa to see who they will face when the tournament starts in June 2010 but the more important question that this Portugal squad will face going into the tournament is who will be the strikers on a team that is full of talented midfielders but lack a star striker who will scare opposing teams. This is not new for a Portugal squad who has not had a big performance from a striker in a major tournament since the 1966 World Cup where Eusebio lead the tournament in scoring and terrorized the opposing teams. The best Portugal has produced since then has been Pauleta now retired who would score a ton of goals during qualifying but not so many when the tournaments began and Nuno Gomes he of the age of 33 and close to retirement seems to score some big goals in tournaments but unless you count Euro 2000 where he chipped in four markers and was named to the Euro All Star Squad he looks as if his time with the National squad may be over. This makes for the biggest question for the Portuguese team. Will a striker step up in this tournament? Who will it be? This could be the difference in making a long run or going home a little earlier then most fans would like to think. The system that Portugal plays with one striker on the field should mean that Carlos Queiroz will carry three strikers when his 23 man squad selection is completed in 2010.

The Inside Track:

Hugo Almeida (Werder Bremen) 25 years old
Portugal stats- 22 Caps, 4 goals
2009/10 Season stats- 6 games played, 3 goals

Liedson (Sporting) 31 years old
Portugal stats- 6 Caps, 2 goals
2009/10 Season stats- 7 games played, 2 goals

On the Bubble:

Nuno Gomes (Benfica) 33 years old
Portugal stats- 77 Caps, 29 goals
2009/10 Season stats- 3 games played, 2 goals

Edinho (Malaga) 27 years old
Portugal stats- 5 Caps, 2 goals
2009/10 Season stats- 6 games played, 3 goals

Helder Postiga (Sporting) 27 years old
Portugal stats- 34 Caps, 11 goals
2009/10 Season stats- 3 games played, 1 goal

Outside shot:

Makukula (Kayserispor) 28 years old
Portugal stats- 4 Caps, 1 goal
2009/10 Season stats- 12 games played, 10 goals

Varela (FC Porto) 24 years old
Portugal stats- 0 Caps, 0 goals
2009/10 Season stats- 5 games played, 3 goals

Joao Tomas (Rio Ave) 34 years old
Portugal stats- 4 Caps, 1 goal
2009/10 Season stats- 9 games played, 5 goals

Orlando Sa (FC Porto) 21 years old
Portugal stats- 1 Cap, 0 goals
2009/10 Season stats- 0 games played, 0 goals

Now we want the fans to tell us which striker they would like to see joining Hugo Almeida and Liedson as the teams third striking option.

Which striker would you like to see join Almeida & Liedson?
	Nuno Gomes (Benfica)
	Edinho (Malaga)
	Helder Postiga (Sporting)
	Makukula (Kayserispor)
	Varela (FC Porto)
	Joao Tomas (Rio Ave)
	Orlando Sa (FC Porto)
	Other
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Sporting squeak through and Nacional are out

Sporting did just enough in Europa League action to squeak through into the Round of 32 after a lackluster performance against Dutch side Hereenveen who opened the scoring early in the second half after a scoreless first when Assaida scored but Sporting was not going to let this slip away and equalized the game in the 90th minute when Grimi scored to earn Sporting the point which was all they needed to advance to the Round of 32. Nacional on the other hand was totally out classed in their matchup with Werder Bremen. The German side easily handled the Madeira squad with a 4-1 victory. Nacional's lone marker game from youngster Ruben Micael. Nacional now has no chance of getting out of the Group and will look to save some face when they host Austria Wien at home in their last Group match

Benfica win moves them into Round of 32

Benfica defeated Bate Borisov today in UEFA Europa League action to clinch a spot in the Round of 32. Benfica and Bate played to a scoreless first half before the goals started to come for visiting Benfica. Javier Saviola scored early in the second half, his fourth goal of the Group Stage and Fabio Coentrao made it 2-0 Benfica midway through the second half before Bate narrowed the margin to one when David Luiz scored into his own net. This was the closest that Bate would come as Benfica earned their fourth victory in five games and clinching themselves a spot in the next round