Eight groups, six of four teams and two of five, with the winners of each group advancing directly to the quarter-finals. The data for the 2022/23 League Cup was revealed this Friday with the draw for the group stage and the always favorites FC Porto, Sporting, Benfica and Sp. Braga met the first opponents in what is considered the third national competition.
The group stage of the League Cup is defined. pic.twitter.com/CX9ptsrgB7
— B24 (@B24PT) September 23, 2022
Thus, in the draw that took place at the headquarters of the Portuguese Professional Football League, the 34 teams were distributed as follows:
- A group: FC Porto, Vizela, Desp. Chavez, Mafra
- B Group: Sports, Maritime, Rio Ave, Farense
- Group C: Benfica, Moreirense, Peñafiel, Star of Amadora
- Group D: sp. Braga, P. Ferreira, Casa PÃa, Trofense
- Group E: Gil Vicente, Portimonense, National, Sp. Covilhã
- Group F: V. Guimarães, Boavista, Belenenses SAD, Vilafranquense
- Group G: Santa Clara, Arouca, Feirense, Leixões
- Group H: Famalicão, Estoril, Tondela, Academic of Viseu
Thus, both FC Porto and Sporting find two teams from the First League and one from the Second, with Benfica completely inverts this logic and faces three second-tier teams: with an emphasis on Estrela da Amadora, whom the Reds eliminated last season in the round of 16 of the Portuguese Cup. In this Friday’s draw, the couple for the quarterfinals was also defined: the winner of Group C meets the one from Group G, the winner of Group A meets the one from Group E, the winner of Group B meets with the one from Group D and the winner of Group H meets the one from Group F. That is, because they are respectively in groups B and D, Sporting and Sp. Braga can find themselves in the quarterfinals of the League Cup .
It should be remembered that the first phase of the League Cup is scheduled for the period between November 18 and December 17 -that is, while the Qatar World Cup is taking place-, with the quarterfinals being played at just one hand between December 20 and 23 THE the last fourwhich will take place again at the Municipal Stadium of Leiria, It is scheduled for the days between January 24 and 28 of next year.
Benfica is the holder of the record for wins in the competition, with seven, followed by Sporting, who have four — and who won the last two editions of the League Cup. Next up is Sp. Braga, with two trophies, and also Moreirense and V. Setúbal, with one win each, in a story that does not include FC Porto, who never won the tournament.
Source: Observadora
