Fuente : UEFA (English)
http://www.uefa.com/

Football Europe: Big three remain the teams to beat

/noticias.info/ Despite a season of surprises in Portugal last time around, SL Benfica, FC Porto and Sporting Clube de Portugal finished in the top three. As the new SuperLiga campaign begins on Friday, that trio is again expected to dominate.

Super Cup win
Despite valiant efforts from SC Braga and Vitória SC, Benfica ended their eleven-year wait for a 31st championship, and last weekend avenged their Portuguese Cup defeat by Vitória FC with a 1-0 Portuguese Super Cup win.

Koeman succession
However, Ronald Koeman, who has replaced VfB Stuttgart-bound coach Giovanni Trapattoni, has yet to land the striker and playmaker he wants for his attacking tactics - his signings so far being centre-back Anderson, midfield anchorman Beto from SC Beira-Mar and Russian left-winger Andrei Kariaka. Captain Simão Sabrosa is likely to remain the forward fulcrum.

Porto changes
Fellow UEFA Champions League group stage entrants Porto also have a new Dutch trainer - Co Adriaanse, who led AZ Alkmaar to last season's UEFA Cup semi-finals. The 2004 European and Portuguese champions, robbed of their crowns during a campaign where three José Mourinho successors came and went, have seen Costinha and Maniche depart for FC Dinamo Mosvka, with Argentinian Luis González arriving in midfield and Hélder Postiga adapting to a playmaking position.

Sporting disappointments
Sporting, who in the space of a week last term, lost the SuperLiga to Benfica, the UEFA Cup final to PFC CSKA Moskva and an automatic Champions League group stage spot to Porto, have kept José Peseiro as coach, but released captain Pedro Barbosa and left-back Rui Jorge and sold Joseph Enakarhire to Dinamo.

Opening fixtures
Fábio Rochemback remains on loan from FC Barcelona while João Moutinho is likely to be playmaker following Hugo Viana's return to Newcastle United FC. The 2004/05 SuperLiga leading scorer Liedson will probably be partnered by Brazilian compatriot Deivid as Sporting start at home to CF Os Belenenses on Friday night, with Benfica at A. Académica de Coimbra the next day and Porto welcoming promoted CF Estrela da Amadora on Sunday. Sporting then play Udinese Calcio on Tuesday needing to overturn a 1-0 deficit to reach the Champions League group phase.

Possible challengers
Braga, Guimarães, Boavista FC, CS Marítimo and Belenenses are the potential threats to the top three, with the former two representing Portugal in the UEFA Cup alongside Setúbal. Braga kept striker João Tomás by buying him out of his contract with Real Betis Balompié and have taken Serbo-Montenegrin forward Andrija Delibasic on loan from RCD Mallorca after a year with Benfica. Guimarães will be coached by Jaime Pacheco, the man who guided Boavista to the 2001 title, and in Marek Saganowski have a new Polish frontman.

Promoted trio
Unlike their fellow European contenders, Setúbal are tipped to struggle with Luís Norton de Matos now in charge after succeeding José Rachão. A. Naval 1º Maio, in the top tier for the first time, are aiming to stay up along with FC Paços de Ferreira and Amadora. notas_de_prensa_archivo