Whereas before Portugal's "Big Three" were jostling for top spot in a three way battle, that has now changed dramatically over the past few months. At this point, only one team, Porto, stands as the clear league leaders, with the Dragons continuing to put more and more distance between themselves and the chasing pack with each successful win.
Can anyone stop the Dragons this season?
Here's all you need to know ahead of matchday 21.
Primeira Liga standings heading into matchday 21
Here's how the table looks ahead of the next round of fixtures.
| Pos. | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sporting CP | 30 | 26 | 2 | 2 | 87 | 27 | +60 | 80 | WWWWW | |
| 2 | Benfica | 30 | 23 | 4 | 3 | 68 | 24 | +44 | 73 | WWLWW | |
| 3 | Porto | 30 | 19 | 5 | 6 | 55 | 24 | +31 | 62 | WDLLW | |
| 4 | Sporting Braga | 30 | 19 | 5 | 6 | 63 | 41 | +22 | 62 | WWLWW | |
| 5 | Vitória Guimarães | 30 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 45 | 32 | +13 | 57 | LDWWW | |
| 6 | Arouca | 30 | 13 | 5 | 12 | 51 | 40 | +11 | 44 | DWWWL | |
| 7 | Moreirense | 30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 30 | 34 | -4 | 43 | LLDLW | |
| 8 | Famalicão | 30 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 33 | 38 | -5 | 36 | DLDWW | |
| 9 | Casa Pia | 30 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 30 | 43 | -13 | 32 | LDDWL | |
| 10 | Farense | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 39 | 44 | -5 | 31 | LDWLD | |
| 11 | Rio Ave | 30 | 5 | 16 | 9 | 32 | 38 | -6 | 31 | DDWDD | |
| 12 | Gil Vicente | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 37 | 48 | -11 | 31 | WLLLL | |
| 13 | Boavista | 30 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 35 | 56 | -21 | 30 | DLLDL | |
| 14 | Estoril | 30 | 8 | 6 | 16 | 45 | 52 | -7 | 30 | DLDWW | |
| 15 | Estrela | 30 | 6 | 11 | 13 | 32 | 46 | -14 | 29 | DDDLD | |
| 16 | Portimonense | 30 | 7 | 7 | 16 | 34 | 64 | -30 | 28 | DDWLL | |
| 17 | Chaves | 30 | 5 | 8 | 17 | 30 | 62 | -32 | 23 | DWLLL | |
| 18 | Vizela | 30 | 4 | 9 | 17 | 29 | 62 | -33 | 21 | LLLLL |
Primeira Liga games you won't want to miss on matchday 21
Arouca vs Porto: Porto are the only unbeaten team remaining in Portuguese football's top flight, and in fact, are the only team in any of Europe's major leagues to lose a match this season. As a result, the Dragons have opened up a significant six point gap over the chasing pack and will look to naturally widen it even further as they travel to face struggling Arouca.
Not only have the hosts won just one of their last five games, but also they sit just two points away from the drop zone. It won't surprise most Portuguese football fans to know that the Dragons have lost just one of their last nine meetings with Arouca, while winning the other eight, and for all intents and purposes, barring a shocking collapse, Porto should be able to cruise to another win this weekend.
Sporting CP vs Famalicão: Sporting have alternated between a win and a loss from their last five games, but certainly, they'll be hoping not to stumble once again when they welcome relegation-threatened Famalicão. However, Sporting have had mixed results against their upcoming visitors. While they do have the superior head to head record, with six wins versus Famalicão's two, five of the other 13 meetings have resulted in draws. This includes the last three most recent meetings in the Primeira Liga.
Tondela vs Benfica: Benfica have really fallen well behind the pace in the title race in the past few months and now find themselves a whopping 12 points behind league leaders Porto. Indeed, the Eagles, who have won more league titles than any other side in Portugal, have been hardly soaring lately, and for all intents and purposes are pretty much out of the title race. Still, there's plenty to play for, as they will want to secure an automatic Champions League football berth and keep teams like Sporting Braga at bay - and they can naturally do so by picking up a vital three points over Tondela this weekend.
Team news for matchday 21
*All info as of 04 February 2022
Porto: Wilson Manafá (knee injury)
Sporting CP: Sebastián Coates (COVID-19)
Benfica: Haris Seferovic (leg injury), Gilberto (Tonsillitis), Roman Yaremchuk (eye injury), João Mário (COVID-19), Lucas Veríssimo (knee injury), Rodrigo Pinho (knee injury)
Primeira Liga matchday 21 fixtures
