Portugoal

One subject dominates the latest PortuGOAL podcast - the Portuguese title race. It's heading for a thrilling finale with just two points separating Lisbon giants Benfica and Sporting with two matches remaining. How can you explain Benfica's shaky form? Is Jorge Jesus right when he says Sporting are the best team in Portugal? Who are the main players who have sustained the incredible run of results by both sides? We attempt to answer these questions and discuss the transfer rumours surrounding Renato Sanches, João Mário and Islam Slimani, before tackling the biggest question of them all: Who will be the 2015/16 champions of Portugal?

In the latest PortuGOAL podcast we welcome back French football expert James Eastham onboard for an in-depth talk about the progress this season of the many Portuguese players based in France. We also ask James about how the host country is gearing up for the Euro 2016 tournament and hear about another Portuguese manager making a name for himself in the French second division.

We kick off our latest podcast by looking at the Portugal national team ahead of Euro 2016 in the wake of the recent friendlies. How should Fernando Santos solve the problems caused by the lack of quality strikers available and the abundance of talent in midfield? Club football then takes centre stage as we discuss Benfica and Braga’s performances in Europe this week and weigh up their chances of making progress. We wrap up by analysing FC Porto’s ongoing troubles. What does club president Pinto da Costa have to do to get the Dragons back on track?

In the latest edition of the PortuGOAL podcast we tip our hat to Benfica’s fantastic achievement of reaching the Champions League quarter-finals after back-to-back wins against Zenit St Petersburg. We then take a look at the Liga NOS title race and assess the chances of the three perpetual candidates to lift the crown, Benfica, Sporting and FC Porto, as the 2015/16 season heads towards an exciting climax.

The PortuGOAL podcast is back. In the 101st edition of the show we look at three young players who are making a name for themselves, despite not playing for Portugal’s traditional Big Three. Portuguese football coach and journalist Tiago Estêvão runs the rule over Diogo Jota, Iuri Medeiros and Otávio. In part two we focus on the Europa League as we analyse the chances of Braga, FC Porto and Sporting in their second-leg matches against Sion, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen respectively.

Last weekend’s Lisbon derby made waves all over the football world. BBC World Service sent correspondent Steve Crossman to the Portuguese capital to see what all the fuss was about. His investigations included meeting a Fado singer, a family split by their allegiances and some Sporting ultras, as well as speaking to Sporting president Bruno de Carvalho and former Benfica player Diogo Luís. Read about and listen to his report of what certainly lived up to its billing as one of the great Benfica-Sporting encounters.

Benfica-Sporting preview and Champions League appraisal Today’s PortuGOAL podcast is number 100 and to mark the occasion we are joined by Andy Brassell, European football expert extraordinaire and the original host of the show, as special guest. The team discuss Porto and Benfica’s showing so far in the Champions League as the competition reaches the halfway stage of the group phase, before moving on to analyse the massively anticipated Benfica-Sporting Lisbon derby on Sunday.

The latest PortuGOAL podcast is dedicated to the first Portuguese clássico of the season, which saw FC Porto beat Benfica thanks to a late winner from André André. Portuguese football coach and journalist Vasco Mota Pereira pulls no punches as we analyse the job Julen Lopetegui and Rui Vitória are doing at Porto and Benfica respectively. We also reflect on some individual displays: Is Imbula a €20m player? Are Porto really "going Portuguese"? Is Nélson Semedo a potential Portugal right-back?

In our latest podcast it’s the Seleção all the way! Portugal are all but qualified for Euro 2016, yet many questions remain about the direction Fernando Santos’s team is heading. We hear from Bernardo Silva and José Fonte as the PortuGOAL crew discuss the current issues surrounding the team, possible tactical tweaks, the coach Fernando Santos and much more, and ask the question: Can Portugal thrive at next summer’s tournament?

PortuGOAL podcast 97 is dominated by the bombshell that exploded in the last few hours in Portugal, with Benfica’s 3-time championship winning coach Jorge Jesus walking out of the club and signing for bitter cross-Lisbon rivals Sporting. We also review the 2014/15 season in terms of Portugal’s Big Three, and discuss what the future may hold for the two Lisbon giants, Portuguese coaches Rui Vitória and Marco Silva, and Spanish counterpart Julen Lopetegui at FC Porto.

The latest PortuGOAL podcast is dedicated entirely to Portuguese footballers and coaches doing exceptionally well for themselves in France. We are joined by French football expert, scout and journalist James Eastham who runs the rule over the thriving Portuguese contingent at Monaco, as well as Anthony and Marcos Lopes, and last but not least Raphael Guerreiro. The assessment is good news for fans of Portuguese football.

There’s just one item on the agenda in the latest PortuGOAL podcast as we look ahead to Sunday’s title-defining Benfica-Porto Clássico in Lisbon. We discuss what approach Benfica coach Jorge Jesus may take in the knowledge that a draw would be a good result for the Eagles. We also speculate about what impact Porto’s chastening defeat at Bayern Munich in midweek may have, if Salvio’s possible absence will be a big blow for Benfica, and whether or not Lopetegui should drop goalkeeper Fabiano. We also try to gauge the significance of home advantage in football, and point out how the lack of long-term squad planning at both clubs may bode badly for the future.

The new PortuGOAL podcast focuses on Wednesday's huge Champions League quarter-final 1st leg between FC Porto and Bayern Munich. Can the Dragons cause an upset? We also discuss where we are at in the Primeira Liga, speculating whether or not the title will be decided when Benfica host Porto in a couple of weeks, and running the rule over the job coach Marco Silva has done at Sporting.

PortuGOAL podcast 93: Seleção - in with the old, out with the new The latest PortuGOAL podcast is dedicated to the Portuguese national team in the wake of the 2-1 victory over Serbia in Euro 2016 qualifying and the defeat in the friendly against Cape Verde. Seleção experts Nathan Motz and Simon de Sousa join Tom Kundert to discuss whether Fernando Santos is leading Portugal in the right direction, where Fábio Coentrão should play, how the team may fare at Euro 2016 and much more.

The latest PortuGOAL podcast has a slightly different flavour to it as we make an in-depth analysis of two topics: FC Porto and Portuguese players in Spain. Portuguese coach and journalist Vasco Mota Pereira gives his assessment of the job Julen Lopetegui is doing at the helm of Porto and forecasts what the rest of their season may hold for the Dragons. Special guest, Spanish football expert and journalist David Cartlidge, gives us his opinion of Porto's Spanish contingent, then takes a close look at the legion of Portuguese footballers playing in La Liga. André Gomes, Cristiano Ronaldo, Tiago, Ivan Cavaleiro and Bebé, among many others come under the spotlight, as does Valencia's Portuguese coach Nuno Espírito Santo.

In PortuGOAL podcast 91 we ask how have Benfica managed to stay top of the Primeira Liga despite selling player after player, and how crucial is it for Porto to overtake their arch rivals before the finishing line. Looking further down the line, does Portuguese clubs' newfound reliance on youth players bode well for Sporting? We also tackle a host of hot issues affecting Portuguese football right now: Cristiano Ronaldo, Mourinho's Chelsea, Nuno Espírito Santo's success at Valencia, Bernardo Silva's sale to Monaco. We end with the question: "Has Jorge Jesus got something against Portuguese players?"

The latest PortuGOAL podcast is split into two parts. Firstly, we sift through the debris of Benfica’s Champions League campaign, and in stark contrast speculate how far Porto can go in the competition. We also doff our cap to Vitória Guimarães and their amazing season and discuss which potential January transfer reinforcements are needed by Sporting, Porto and Benfica. In Part Two it’s the Seleção all the way as we sum up the situation of the national team under new coach Fernando Santos. We assess his decisions to bring in the old guard and call up a few (too few?) young guns and hear first-hand from Portugal midfielder Tiago and goalkeeper Beto. We finish by pontificating how Cristiano Ronaldo’s brilliance may be having a negative impact on his international team-mates.

PortuGOAL podcast 89 focuses on club football. Vitória Guimarães, Paços de Ferreira and Belenenses have all made strong starts to the 2014/15 season. What is the secret of their success? It was a superb week in the Champions League for Portugal's three representatives, Benfica, Porto and Sporting. We take a look at the state of the nation at the Big Three in more detail. Finally we discuss just how competitive the Portuguese Primeira Liga really is.

It's all change in the Seleção. The appointment of Fernando Santos heralds a new era for Portugal's national football team. Nathan Motz, Simon de Sousa and Tom Kundert start by looking at Paulo Bento's legacy, before discussing Fernando Santos' options and the future for the Seleção. We end by previewing the Denmark match and predicting the result of the Euro 2016 qualifier.

The new season is well and truly upon us and the PortuGOAL podcast is back! Vasco Mota Pereira and Tom Kundert discuss how Benfica, FC Porto & Sporting stand after the summer transfer season and their title prospects. We end by previewing Sunday's Lisbon derby between Benfica and Sporting at the Estádio da Luz.