The Sporting-Benfica referee has already been assigned to Joao Pinheiro, appointed for Sunday’s derby.

Referee João Pinheiro will preside over the derby between Sporting CP and Benfica for the first time on Sunday, as part of the 33rd round of the I League, the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) announced on Wednesday.

Referee of the Braga association, 35 years old, international since 2016, will participate in the derby for the ninth time, but for the first time in a duel between rivals in Lisbon, with Bruno Jesus and Luciano Maia as assistants at the José Alvalade stadium in Lisbon, fourth referee will be Vitor Ferreira and the video referee (VAR) will be Hugo Miguel assisted by Pedro Felisberto (AVAR).

It will be the ninth game between the ‘greats’ for the Vila Nova de Famalicán-born referee, after officiating already this season’s League Cup final in January, when Porto won the trophy for the first time against ‘leões’ (2-0) in Leirii and Benfica’s triumph away at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto 1-0 with Rafa’s goal in the 10th round of the championship.

Prior to that, the previous six derbies he managed had pitted Porto against Sporting, three for the championship against Dragao with two draws and a victory for the blue and whites, two in the League Cup, semi-final and final and one in the League Cup. “half” of the Portuguese Cup.

In cups, João Pinheiro was in Sporting’s qualification for the semi-finals of the 2020/21 League Cup (2-1) and in the triumph of Porto at home in the first leg of the semi-finals of the Portuguese Cup. in the 2017/18 season (1-0).

The Benfica leader becomes the national champion for the 38th time if he wins the derby scheduled for Sunday at 20:30, rivals Sporting, who finished fourth with 70 points, 13 less than the “embodied” , who have a four-point lead over Porto. the current title holder and visiting Famalicao on Saturday by arbitration Fabio Verissimo of the Leiria Association.