Fantasy Portugal 2026/2027 Round 5 Preview
Fantasy Portugal Round 5 preview: the Benfica double, best buys and hidden gems
Round 5 of Fantasy Portugal 2026/2027 is not a normal round. Four clubs play twice — Benfica, Braga, Moreirense and Estrela da Amadora — because the two rearranged fixtures Moreirense - Benfica (9 September) and Estrela da Amadora - Braga (10 September) land inside the same round. Everyone knows to own Vangelis Pavlidis. The round is won in the eight or nine squad spots after him, and that is what this preview is about.
Round 5 fixtures: which doubles are actually worth owning
Two of the four doubles are traps. Moreirense draw FC Porto away and then host Benfica; Estrela da Amadora host Famalicao and then Braga. Only Benfica and Braga get two fixtures they are favourites to win, and the gap between them is large.
| Team | Fixtures | Win probability | Expected goals | Clean sheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benfica | [A]Maritimo → [A]Moreirense | 70% / 83% | 2.24 + 2.78 = 5.02 | 46% / 57% |
| Braga | [A]Alverca → [A]Estrela da Amadora | 53% / 57% | 1.78 + 1.75 = 3.53 | 34% / 42% |
| Estrela da Amadora | [H]Famalicao → [H]Braga | 29% / 18% | 1.03 + 0.87 = 1.90 | 28% / 17% |
| Moreirense | [A]FC Porto → [H]Benfica | 9% / 5% | 0.63 + 0.56 = 1.19 | 12% / 6% |
Among the single-fixture teams, two stand out: Sporting CP at home to Nacional (78% win probability, 2.57 expected goals, 51% clean sheet) and FC Porto at home to Moreirense (71%, 2.13, 53% clean sheet). Porto's clean-sheet number is the best single-game figure of the round — but one game at a 53% clean sheet is still worth less than two games at 46% and 57%. You can check every number yourself on the Fantasy Portugal schedule and the market probabilities page.
Best goalkeeper picks for Round 5
Samuel Soares (5.5m, Benfica) is the single best value pick in the game this round: 9.40 predicted points, more than any midfielder and more than any defender. Two games against Maritimo and Moreirense, the two lowest-scoring attacks on his schedule, and a 46% / 57% clean-sheet pair. He is owned by just 6.3% of managers.
The budget alternative is Bernardo Fontes (5.0m, Braga) on 8.50 — 1.70 points per million, essentially the same efficiency as Soares for half a million less, and he keeps a good programme afterwards ([H]Estoril in Round 6). Owning both, if your structure allows it, is a legitimate Round 5 play.
The differential is Leonardo Linck (5.0m, Estrela da Amadora) on 7.40 at 1.0% ownership. He is not a clean-sheet pick — he is a save-volume pick, facing Famalicao and then Braga at home. If you want to be different in goal without breaking your budget, that is the pick. Compare the whole position on Fantasy Portugal player picks.
Best defenders for Round 5
Benfica have four defenders priced identically at 6.0m and all four project above 7.00:
| Player | Team | Price | Owned | R5 | R6 | R7 | Weighted (6 rds) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Bah | Benfica | 6.0m | 9.0% | 8.10 | 3.50 | 2.10 | 15.79 |
| Clement Lenglet | Benfica | 6.0m | 13.3% | 7.70 | 3.50 | 2.30 | 15.64 |
| Samuel Dahl | Benfica | 6.0m | 12.0% | 7.60 | 3.40 | 2.20 | 15.35 |
| Tomas Araujo | Benfica | 6.0m | 18.3% | 7.10 | 3.30 | 2.20 | 14.73 |
| Gustaf Lagerbielke | Braga | 6.0m | 6.9% | 6.70 | 3.50 | 3.20 | 14.77 |
| Luan Patrick | Estrela da Amadora | 4.5m | 1.8% | 5.90 | 3.00 | 3.40 | 14.06 |
Alexander Bah (6.0m, BEN) is the pick of them at 8.10 — he carries the most attacking threat of the four and is the least owned of the Benfica back line at 9.0%. If you want two, pair him with Clement Lenglet (6.0m, BEN). Remember the three-per-club cap: you cannot have all four, so choose on attacking upside rather than shuffling between near-identical clean-sheet projections.
The budget pick of the round is Luan Patrick (4.5m, Estrela da Amadora): 5.90 predicted points at 1.31 points per million, the best defensive efficiency in the game, at 1.8% ownership. Two home games, and unlike his goalkeeper he adds set-piece presence. For 4.5m he frees up the money that pays for Pavlidis.
From Braga, Travassos (5.5m, BRA) on 6.40 is the cheaper route into the second double, though 14.4% of managers already have him. Check the predicted lineups before the deadline — Braga rotate their full-backs more than Benfica do.
Best midfielders for Round 5
Rafa Silva (10.0m, BEN) leads the position on 9.80 predicted points, from 0.76 expected goals and 0.28 expected assists across 127 projected minutes. At 10.8% ownership he is not template, and he is the second-highest scoring player in the round behind Pavlidis.
The most interesting line in the entire dataset is this one: Georgiy Sudakov (8.9m, BEN) and Gianluca Prestianni (8.2m, BEN) both project 7.70 for Round 5. Prestianni is owned by 41.9% of managers. Sudakov is owned by 0.6%. Same club, same two fixtures, same projected return, and one of them is a genuine differential while the other is the template. Sudakov also projects 135 minutes to Prestianni's 145, so this is not a rotation discount — it is simply where the market has not caught up. If you are chasing rank, that is the swap.
The value premium is Leandro Barreiro (6.5m, BEN): 7.40 points at 1.14 per million, with 151 projected minutes — the most of any Benfica player. He is 5.8% owned and he is how you get a third Benfica asset in without spending 9m.
Braga's route in is Gabriel Silva (7.0m, BRA) on 6.80, and the two Estrela da Amadora differentials are worth naming: Abraham Marcus (6.0m, EST) on 6.60 with 159 projected minutes, the highest total of any player in the round, and Ianis Stoica (5.5m, EST) on 6.00 at 0.5% ownership with a 77% penalty share. Stoica is the cheapest way to own a double with penalty duty attached.
Best forwards for Round 5
Vangelis Pavlidis (12.1m, BEN) projects 11.30 — the highest score in the game and 4.20 points clear of the next forward. Two games, 136 projected minutes, 1.50 expected goals plus 0.25 expected assists, and an 81% penalty share. He is 71.0% owned, so he is not a differential; he is simply correct, and not owning him is the risk.
The value forward is Fran Navarro (7.5m, BRA) on 7.10 — 0.82 expected goals across 132 projected minutes for Braga's double, at 4.8% ownership and 0.95 points per million. He is the best non-Benfica attacking pick in the round by a clear margin.
At the bottom of the price range, Leandro Antonetti (4.5m, Estrela da Amadora) gives you 4.40 from two games at 0.98 points per million — enabler money that still contributes. The full ranked list sits on the player picks page.
Captain picks for Round 5
- Vangelis Pavlidis (12.1m, BEN) — 11.30 predicted points. Two fixtures, 5.02 combined expected goals for his team, penalties, and an 83% win probability in the second game. This is the clearest captain call of the season so far.
- Rafa Silva (10.0m, BEN) — 9.80. The right armband if you do not own Pavlidis, and the obvious partner if you are using the Two Captains chip.
- Georgiy Sudakov / Gianluca Prestianni (BEN) — 7.70 each. Only relevant as a third option, but both outscore every single-fixture player in the game.
Worth planning ahead: Benfica travel to FC Porto in Round 7 (31% win probability), so the captaincy picture flips fast. Sporting CP host Arouca in Round 7 (79%) and Academico Viseu in Round 9 (85%, 3.17 expected goals) — those are the next two premium captain rounds, and they are Sporting rounds, not Benfica rounds.
Which chip fits Round 5?
Fantasy Portugal gives you Wildcard (x2), Two Captains, Park the Bus and Loan Rangers. Round 5 is the strongest case for Two Captains we have seen: Pavlidis and Rafa Silva at 11.30 and 9.80, both playing twice, is a bigger combined ceiling than any single-fixture pairing will offer for weeks.
Loan Rangers lifts the three-per-club limit for one round, and with a double this lopsided the model's best one-round XI is close to a straight Benfica block:
| Pos | Player | Team | Price | R5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Samuel Soares | Benfica | 5.5m | 9.40 |
| DEF | Alexander Bah | Benfica | 6.0m | 8.10 |
| DEF | Clement Lenglet | Benfica | 6.0m | 7.70 |
| DEF | Samuel Dahl | Benfica | 6.0m | 7.60 |
| DEF | Tomas Araujo | Benfica | 6.0m | 7.10 |
| MID | Rafa Silva | Benfica | 10.0m | 9.80 |
| MID | Gianluca Prestianni | Benfica | 8.2m | 7.70 |
| MID | Georgiy Sudakov | Benfica | 8.9m | 7.70 |
| MID | Leandro Barreiro | Benfica | 6.5m | 7.40 |
| FWD | Vangelis Pavlidis | Benfica | 12.1m | 11.30 |
| FWD | Fran Navarro | Braga | 7.5m | 7.10 |
That is 1-4-4-2 for 99.3m of a 100.4m budget, with an implied captain of Pavlidis and a combined projection of 90.90 before the armband. It is only legal while Loan Rangers is active — under normal rules you are capped at three players per club, so pick your best three Benfica assets (Pavlidis, Rafa Silva and Bah is the highest-scoring trio) and fill the rest from Braga and Estrela da Amadora. The site solves this live and to the exact optimum: see optimal teams for Fantasy Portugal.
Who to sell before Round 5
These are the widely-owned players whose Round 5 collapses relative to what your money can buy instead:
- Diogo Costa (6.6m, FC Porto) — 61.5% owned, 4.60 points. The most-owned goalkeeper in the game projects half of Samuel Soares while costing 1.1m more. One game against a Moreirense side projected for 0.63 goals is a fine fixture; it is simply not two games. Downgrade and bank the difference.
- Jakub Kiwior (6.1m, FC Porto) — 58.4% owned, 4.30 points. Same problem: a strong single fixture (53% clean sheet) that loses to four Benfica defenders at the same price with two games each.
- Luis Suarez (12.4m, Sporting CP) — 20.8% owned, 4.90 points. The most expensive forward in the game returns 0.40 points per million this round. If your budget forces a choice between him and Pavlidis, it is not close.
- Goncalo Paciencia (5.8m, Santa Clara) — 36.1% owned, 3.20 points. One home game against Rio Ave at a 49% win probability, and his weighted six-round score of 9.09 is the weakest of any heavily-owned player. This is the easy transfer out.
One player to hold rather than sell: Rodrigo Zalazar (10.5m, Sporting CP) only projects 5.40 in Round 5, but he climbs to 5.10 in Round 7 with Sporting's home run and carries a 16.98 weighted score. If you can afford Pavlidis without moving him, leave him alone.
The one-line summary
Own Pavlidis and captain him. Then spend the rest of your budget on the parts of the double most managers are not touching — Samuel Soares in goal at 6.3% ownership, Sudakov at 0.6% for the same projection as a 42%-owned team-mate, Luan Patrick at 4.5m, and Fran Navarro as the Braga route in. More Fantasy Portugal analysis every round in the Fantasy Portugal preview hub, including the Round 4 preview, and the fundamentals are covered in our fantasy football guides.
FAQ
Who should I captain in Fantasy Portugal Round 5?
Vangelis Pavlidis (12.1m, Benfica). He tops the model on 11.30 predicted points, plays twice (away to Maritimo, then away to Moreirense), takes 81% of Benfica's penalties, and his side is projected for 5.02 goals across the two games. Rafa Silva (10.0m) on 9.80 is the alternative armband if you do not own Pavlidis.
Which teams have a double gameweek in Fantasy Portugal Round 5?
Four: Benfica, Braga, Moreirense and Estrela da Amadora. Only Benfica and Braga are favourites in both games. Moreirense face FC Porto away and then host Benfica, so their double is worth avoiding despite the extra fixture.
What are the best differentials for Fantasy Portugal Round 5?
Georgiy Sudakov (8.9m, Benfica) at 0.6% ownership projects exactly the same 7.70 as the 41.9%-owned Gianluca Prestianni. Ianis Stoica (5.5m, Estrela da Amadora) at 0.5% ownership projects 6.00 with a 77% penalty share, and Luan Patrick (4.5m, Estrela da Amadora) at 1.8% ownership gives 5.90 — the best points-per-million of any defender in the round.
Should I sell Diogo Costa before Round 5?
Yes, if you can replace him with a double-gameweek goalkeeper. Diogo Costa (6.6m) projects 4.60 for his single home game against Moreirense, while Samuel Soares (5.5m, Benfica) projects 9.40 across two fixtures and Bernardo Fontes (5.0m, Braga) projects 8.50. You gain roughly five points and free up budget at the same time.
Which chip should I use in Fantasy Portugal Round 5?
Two Captains is the strongest fit: Pavlidis and Rafa Silva both play twice and project 11.30 and 9.80, a combined ceiling no single-fixture pairing will match soon. Loan Rangers is the alternative, because it lifts the three-per-club cap and lets you build the Benfica-heavy XI shown above — run it through the live solver on the optimal teams page before committing.
This preview was written by TheFantasyTool AI - verified by Nicolai @ TheFantasyTool