2017–18 LigaPro
28th season of second-tier football league in Portugal
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The 2017–18 LigaPro (also known as Ledman LigaPro for sponsorship reasons) was the 28th season of Portuguese football's second-tier league, and the fourth season under the current LigaPro title. A total of 20 teams competed in this division, including reserve sides from top-flight Primeira Liga teams.
| Season | 2017–18 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Nacional 1st title |
| Promoted | Nacional Santa Clara |
| Relegated | União da Madeira Sporting CP B Gil Vicente Real |
| Matches | 380 |
| Goals | 947 (2.49 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Ricardo Gomes (21 goals) |
| Longest unbeaten run | 16 matches Nacional |
| Highest attendance | 20,446[1] Académica 1–2 Cova da Piedade (5 May 2018) |
| Total attendance | 436,178 |
| Average attendance | 1,148 |
← 2016–17 2018–19 → | |
Teams
A total of 20 teams contested the league, including 16 sides from the 2016–17 season, two teams relegated from the 2016–17 Primeira Liga and two promoted from the 2016–17 Campeonato de Portugal.
Team changes
|
Promoted from 2016–17 Campeonato de Portugal
Relegated from 2016–17 Primeira Liga |
Promoted to 2017–18 Primeira Liga Relegated to 2017–18 Campeonato de Portugal
|
Stadia and locations
Location of teams in 2017–18 LigaPro (Mainland)
Location of teams in 2017–18 LigaPro (Madeira)
Location of teams in 2016–17 LigaPro (Azores)
Personnel and sponsors
| Team | Head coach | Kit manufacturer | Sponsors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Académica |  Ricardo Soares |
Lacatoni | EFAPEL |
| Académico de Viseu | Francisco Chaló |
Macron | Palácio do Gelo |
| Arouca | Miguel Leal |
Joma | Construções Carlos Pinho |
| Benfica B | Hélder Cristóvão |
Adidas | Emirates |
| Braga B | João Aroso |
Lacatoni | |
| Cova da Piedade | João Barbosa |
Lacatoni | |
| Famalicão | Dito |
Lacatoni | Porminho |
| Gil Vicente | Álvaro Magalhães |
Macron | Barcelos / Crédito Agrícola |
| Leixões | Kenedy |
Luanvi | Câmara Municipal de Matosinhos |
| Nacional | Costinha |
Hummel | Santander Totta |
| Oliveirense | Pedro Miguel |
Rakso | Simoldes |
| Penafiel | António Conceição |
Macron | Restradas |
| Porto B | José Tavares |
New Balance | |
| Real SC | Filipe Martins |
Claw | Junta de Freguesia de Queluz |
| Santa Clara | Carlos Pinto |
Nike | Açoreana Seguros |
| Sporting CP B | Luís Martins |
Macron | NOS |
| Sporting da Covilhã | José Augusto |
Lacatoni | Natura / MB Hotels |
| União da Madeira | José Viterbo |
Lacatoni | Museu CR7 |
| Varzim | João Eusébio |
Stadio | Carnes São José |
| Vitória de Guimarães B | Vítor Campelos |
Macron |
Coaching changes
| Team | Outgoing head coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming head coach | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Académica | Costinha | Mutual Consent | 22 May 2017 | Pre-season | Ivo Vieira | 29 May 2017 |
| Académica | Ivo Vieira | Signed by Estoril | 13 November 2017 | 6th | Ricardo Soares | 14 November 2017 |
| Académica | Ricardo Soares | Mutual Consent | 31 March 2018 | 5th | Quim Machado | 1 April 2018 |
Season summary
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nacional (C, P) | 38 | 19 | 14 | 5 | 72 | 45 | +27 | 71 | Promotion to the Primeira Liga |
| 2 | Santa Clara (P) | 38 | 19 | 9 | 10 | 55 | 40 | +15 | 66 | |
| 3 | Académico de Viseu | 38 | 17 | 13 | 8 | 50 | 40 | +10 | 64 | |
| 4 | Académica | 38 | 19 | 6 | 13 | 59 | 40 | +19 | 63 | |
| 5 | Penafiel | 38 | 17 | 11 | 10 | 55 | 43 | +12 | 62 | |
| 6 | Arouca | 38 | 16 | 11 | 11 | 42 | 37 | +5 | 59 | |
| 7 | Porto B | 38 | 18 | 4 | 16 | 50 | 55 | −5 | 58 | Ineligible for promotion |
| 8 | Leixões | 38 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 50 | 43 | +7 | 56 | |
| 9 | Cova da Piedade | 38 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 42 | 45 | −3 | 51 | |
| 10 | Varzim | 38 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 41 | 41 | 0 | 50 | |
| 11 | Vitória de Guimarães B | 38 | 14 | 8 | 16 | 44 | 49 | −5 | 50 | Ineligible for promotion |
| 12 | Oliveirense | 38 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 45 | 47 | −2 | 49 | |
| 13 | Benfica B | 38 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 54 | 60 | −6 | 49 | Ineligible for promotion |
| 14 | Famalicão | 38 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 46 | 49 | −3 | 48 | |
| 15 | Sporting da Covilhã | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 32 | 41 | −9 | 47 | |
| 16 | Braga B | 38 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 44 | 48 | −4 | 44 | Ineligible for promotion |
| 17 | União da Madeira (R) | 38 | 12 | 8 | 18 | 44 | 53 | −9 | 44 | Relegation to the Campeonato de Portugal |
| 18 | Sporting CP B (R) | 38 | 11 | 9 | 18 | 46 | 65 | −19 | 42 | |
| 19 | Gil Vicente (R) | 38 | 8 | 12 | 18 | 29 | 45 | −16 | 36 | |
| 20 | Real (R) | 38 | 8 | 8 | 22 | 47 | 61 | −14 | 32 |
Source: Liga Portugal
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head away goals scored; 5) Goal difference; 6) Matches won; 7) Goals scored; 8) Play-off.
(Note: The LPFP decided that only criteria 1, 5, 6 and 7 would be applied to establish the classification during the competition.)[2]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head away goals scored; 5) Goal difference; 6) Matches won; 7) Goals scored; 8) Play-off.
(Note: The LPFP decided that only criteria 1, 5, 6 and 7 would be applied to establish the classification during the competition.)[2]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Season statistics
Top goalscorers
- As of 14 May 2018[3]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ricardo Gomes |
Nacional | 21 |
| 2 |  Carlos Vinícius |
Real | 19 |
| 3 | Thiago Santana |
Santa Clara | 15 |
| 4 | Heriberto Tavares |
Benfica B | 14 |
| 5 | Murilo |
Nacional | 13 |
| 6 | Dieguinho |
Cova da Piedade | 12 |
 Fábio Abreu |
Penafiel | ||
| 8 | Cléo |
Cova da Piedade | 11 |
 Donald Djoussé |
Académica | ||
| Fernando |
Santa Clara | ||
| Sandro Lima |
Académico Viseu | ||
 Brayan Riascos |
Oliveirense | ||
| Gustavo Costa |
Penafiel | ||
 Luther Singh |
Braga B | ||
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Vinícius | Real | Leixões | 4–1 (H) | 6 August 2017 | [4] |
| Gelson Dala | Sporting B | Santa Clara | 4–3 (H) | 30 September 2017 | [5] |
| Fábio Abreu | Penafiel | Sporting B | 4–1 (H) | 21 October 2017 | [6] |
| Luan Santos | União da Madeira | Académico Viseu | 5–3 (H) | 3 December 2017 | [7] |
| João Félix | Benfica B | Famalicão | 5–0 (H) | 30 January 2018 | [8] |
| Sandro Lima | Académico Viseu | Benfica B | 5–1 (A) | 11 February 2018 | [9] |
- Note
(H) – Home; (A) – Away
Scoring
- As of 14 May 2018
- First goal of the season:
Bilel Aouacheria, for Sporting da Covilhã vs Sporting B (6 August 2017)
- Biggest home win:
- Famalicão 6–0 Sporting B (25 November 2017)
- Nacional 6–0 Porto B (7 March 2018)
- Biggest away win:
- Nacional 0–4 Real (7 October 2017)
- Benfica B 1–5 Académico Viseu (11 February 2018)
- Benfica B 0–4 Académica (9 March 2018)
- União da Madeira 0–4 Benfica B (14 March 2018)
- Porto B 0–4 Braga B (29 April 2018)
- Highest scoring match: 9 goals
- Biggest winning margin: 6 goals
- Famalicão 6–0 Sporting B (25 November 2017)
- Nacional 6–0 Porto B (7 March 2018)
- Most goals scored in a match by a team: 6 goals
- Famalicão 6–0 Sporting B (25 November 2017)
- Nacional 6–0 Porto B (7 March 2018)
Awards
Monthly awards
Liga Portugal
| Month | Player of the Month | |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Club | |
| August[10] |  Fede Varela |
Porto B |
| September[10] | Galeno |
Porto B |
| October/November[10] | Rui Costa |
Famalicão |
| December[11] | Rui Costa |
Famalicão |
| January[11] | Chiquinho |
Académica |
| February[12] | Carlos Vinícius |
Real |
| March[12] | Ricardo Gomes |
Nacional |
| April[13] | Ricardo Gomes |
Nacional |
Annual awards
Liga Portugal
Player of the Season
The Player of the Season was awarded to Ricardo Gomes (Nacional).[14]
Manager of the Season
The Manager of the Season was awarded to Costinha (Nacional).[14]
Goalkeeper of the Season
The Goalkeeper of the Season was awarded to Ricardo Ribeiro (Académica).[14]
Young Player of the Year
The Young Player of the Year was awarded to Artur Abreu (Vitória de Guimarães B).[14]
Club Fair-Play Prize
Player Fair-Play Prize
The Player Fair-Play Prize was awarded to 
Casillas (Porto).[14]
Attendances
| # | Club | Average |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Académica | 4,803 |
| 2 | Santa Clara | 2,031 |
| 3 | Nacional | 1,924 |
| 4 | Famalicão | 1,731 |
| 5 | Vitória B | 1,591 |
| 6 | Leixões | 1,272 |
| 7 | Varzim | 1,230 |
| 8 | Arouca | 992 |
| 9 | Viseu | 978 |
| 10 | Gil Vicente | 962 |
| 11 | União Madeira | 907 |
| 12 | Penafiel | 846 |
| 13 | Cova da Piedade | 784 |
| 14 | Benfica B | 594 |
| 15 | Porto B | 502 |
| 16 | Real SC | 494 |
| 17 | Oliveirense | 378 |
| 18 | Braga B | 363 |
| 19 | Covilhã | 358 |
| 20 | Sporting B | 226 |
Source:[15]