An exciting showdown in the Taça de Portugal is set to take place tonight as GD Chaves host Benfica in the third round of the competition. The match will be played at the Estádio Municipal Eng. Manuel Branco Teixeira.The home side will aim to make the most of their home advantage and pull off an upset against one of the most successful clubs in Portuguese football. Meanwhile, Benfica, a team used to the pressure of knockout tournaments, come into the match as heavy favorites and will be determined to secure their spot in the next round.Friday’s match sees the shy and retiring new Benfica coach, Jose Mourinho, leading his team out at CD Chaves in a Portuguese Cup game for the first time in over 20 years. Although Mourinho is known more for his success at Porto, his first coaching job after leaving his assistant role at Barcelona was an 11-game spell at Benfica in 2000. The time there was curtailed not because of a lack of success but a confident Mourinho failing to get a contract extension out of an incoming new club president. Mourinho abruptly left a club in institutional chaos, and the rest is history.On Saturday, the current Portuguese league leaders, FC Porto, are taking on CD Celorisense from the fourth tier of the country’s league system. Porto are currently on a mission to regain their foothold at the top of Portugal’s pecking order, a perch currently occupied by Sporting Lisbon, who are the current holders of both the Portuguese League and Cup.
Click here to read article