We Have A League Fixture Schedule. Yay.

By: Greg | July 7th, 2008

This evening in Portugal, grown men dipped their hands into bowls filled with balls and determined the schedule for the upcoming season. Once they handled the balls and observed them, this is what they determined would be the schedule for the newly named “Liga Sagres” 08/09 season (with home teams listed first and “classicos” in bold):

Jornada 1 : August 24
E.Amadora v. Académica
V. Guimarães v. V. Setúbal
Naval v. Marítimo
Leixões v. Nacional
Sporting v. Trofense
Boavista / Paços de Ferreira * v. Braga
Porto v. Belenenses
Rio Ave v. Benfica

Jornada 2 : August 31st
Académica v. Rio Ave
V. Setúbal v. E. Amadora
Marítimo v. V. Guimarães
Nacional v. Naval
Trofense v. Leixões
Braga v. Sporting
Belenenses v. Boavista / Paços de Ferreira *
Benfica v. Porto

Jornada 3 : September 21st
Académica v. V. Setúbal
E. Amadora v. Marítimo
V. Guimarães v. Nacional
Naval v. Trofense
Leixões v. Braga
Sporting v. Belenenses
Boavista / Paços de Ferreira * v. Benfica
Rio Ave v. Porto

Jornada 4 : September 28th
V. Setúbal v. Rio Ave
Marítimo v. Académica
Nacional v. E. Amadora
Trofense v. V. Guimarães
Braga v. Naval
Belenenses v. Leixões
Benfica v. Sporting
Porto v. Boavista / Paços de Ferreira *

Jornada 5 : October 5th
V. Setúbal v. Marítimo
Académica v. Nacional
E. Amadora v. Trofense
V. Guimarães v. Braga
Naval v. Belenenses
Leixões v. Benfica
Sporting v. Porto
Rio Ave v. Boavista / Paços de Ferreira *

Jornada 6 : October 26th
Marítimo v. Rio Ave
Nacional v. V. Setúbal
Trofense v. Académica
Braga v. E. Amadora
Belenenses v. V. Guimarães
Benfica v. Naval
Porto v. Leixões
Boavista / Paços de Ferreira * v. Sporting

Jornada 7 : November 2nd
Marítimo v. Nacional
V. Setúbal v. Trofense
Académica v. Braga
E. Amadora v. Belenenses
V. Guimarães v. Benfica
Naval v. Porto
Leixões v. Boavista / Paços de Ferreira *
Rio Ave v. Sporting

Jornada 8 : November 16th
Nacional v. Rio Ave
Trofense v. Marítimo
Braga v. V. Setúbal
Belenenses v. Académica
Benfica v. E. Amadora
Porto v. V. Guimarães
Boavista / Paços de Ferreira * v. Naval
Sporting v. Leixões

Jornada 9 : November 23rd
Nacional v. Trofense
Marítimo v. Braga
V. Setúbal v. Belenenses
Académica v. Benfica
E. Amadora v. Porto
V. Guimarães v. Boavista / Paços de Ferreira *
Naval v. Sporting
Rio Ave v. Leixões

Jornada 10 : November 30th
Trofense v. Rio Ave
Braga v. Nacional
Belenenses v. Marítimo
Benfica v. V. Setúbal
Porto v. Académica
Boavista / Paços de Ferreira * v. E. Amadora
Sporting v. V. Guimarães
Leixões v. Naval

Jornada 11 : December 7th
Trofense v. Braga
Nacional v. Belenenses
Marítimo v. Benfica
V. Setúbal v. Porto
Académica v. Boavista / Paços de Ferreira *
E. Amadora v. Sporting
V. Guimarães v. Leixões
Rio Ave v. Naval

Jornada 12: December 21st
Braga v. Rio Ave
Belenenses v. Trofense
Benfica v. Nacional
Porto v. Marítimo
Boavista / Paços de Ferreira * v. V. Setúbal
Sporting v. Académica
Leixões v. E. Amadora
Naval v. V. Guimarães

Jornada 13: January 4th
Braga v. Belenenses
Trofense v. Benfica
Nacional v. Porto
Marítimo v. Boavista / Paços de Ferreira *
V. Setúbal v. Sporting
Académica v. Leixões
E. Amadora v. Naval
Rio Ave v. V. Guimarães

Jornada 14: January 11th
Rio Ave v. Belenenses
Benfica v. Braga
Porto v. Trofense
Boavista / Paços de Ferreira * v. Nacional
Sporting v. Marítimo
Leixões v. V. Setúbal
Naval v. Académica
V. Guimarães v. E. Amadora

Jornada 15: January 25th
Belenenses v. Benfica
Braga v. Porto
Trofense v. Boavista / Paços de Ferreira *
Nacional v. Sporting
Marítimo v. Leixões
V. Setúbal v. Naval
Académica v. V. Guimarães
E. Amadora v. Rio Ave

For me, the schedule is WAY too top heavy, with the “classicos” all being played within the first five weeks of the season. While I know there’s the other geographical derbies, the classico matches are always have the highest attendance and usually are regarded as the most important matches of the year. The Boavista / Paços de Ferreira debacle is still yet to be decided. Once it is, one of those two clubs will assume the spot and the other will be banished to the second circle of Portuguese football HELLLLLLLLL.

This list is also obviously only half of the season. For the second half, you can have fun with your own personal homework assignment and add one to the Jornada number, a week to the date, and simply repeat the list from the top with the teams reversed for home field purposes. The first lucky guy or gal to hand in their assignment gets an official Portuguese Liga Offside gold star. Kisses ALL AROUND. Keep it real.