Portuguese Fixtures 2012/13

There's a big meeting next Wednesday because the top two divisions and League Cup are being re-organised. Once everyone's formally agreed to that, I would expect the fixtures to come out, maybe a month before the season starts.

You can check on the website www.lpfp.pt or on the benfica website www.slbenfica.pt but be aware that Benfica play all their games live on TV and so they always kickoff in the evenings, never at the standard 4pm Sunday time. They usually confirm matches 3 or 4 weeks ahead, but if any of Benfica's potential opponents are in the Champions League or Europa League games are sometimes not confirmed until a week or two beforehand.

I hope that helps.

Sadly Portimononense were relegated to the third division after finishing bottom of the second last season. Olhanense are now the only Algarve team in the top two divisions. How they survive I don't know, with average crowds of 2,235!

Fingers crossed Olhanense v Benfica will come up when you will be here.

I suppost they are football "fans" i.e. fanatics, like football but just don't go to games! Probably 90% Benfica (even though some have never even been to Lisbon), 6% Sporting, 2% Porto and 2% the rest..

Fixtures for the top two divisions can now be seen at

http://www.lpfp.pt/Pages/Inicio.aspx

The 4pm times in the Liga Zon Sagres are just for fun. Almost every game is shown live on TV and therefore will be at a different date or time, so you will need to check each week to see who is playing when. First matches over the weekend of 17/18/19/20 August.

The Liga Orangina has been expanded to 22 teams and includes the B teams of Porto, Benfica, Sporting etc. They will start on August 12th and play morning, noon and night until mid-May.

The ludicrous League Cup competition starts on 29 July with the second level teams involved.