.jpg "Benfica unveil Champions League roster")
Benfica roster for Champions League qualifier:
List A: Vlachodimos, Helton Leite, Gilberto, Alex Grimaldo, Vertonghen, Alexander Bah, Ristic, Otamendi, Andre Almeida, Joao Victor, Meite, Julian Weigl, Chiquinho, Gil Dias, Joao Mario, Enzo Fernandez, David Neres, Rafa Silva, Yaremchuk, Petar Musa, Diogo Goncalves
List B: Samuel Soares, Kokubo, Andre Gomes, Antonio Silva, Morato, Florentino, Paulo Bernardo, Martim Neto, Goncalo Ramos, Henrique Araujo, Diego Moreira
Braga President Antoine Salvador spoke early today and said that although Malaga owns a higher percentage of Horta's playing rights, it is Braga that decides what the price tag to let the player go will be. Horta currently has a €30M buy out clause but is said to have an agreement with the club to allow him to move if the club receives at least €20M for his services.
.jpg "Benfica to face Midtjylland in Champions League qualifying")
Benfica and Midtjylland will meet for the first time in Champions League play but the clubs are no strangers to one another having seen their Under 19 squads face off in the UEFA Youth League on two occasions over the past five seasons. Midtjylland was knocked out in last seasons round of 16 by Benfica who then went on to capture the 2022 UEFA Youth League Crown.
Helton claimed the number one keeper job during the half way mark of the 2020/21 season before relinquishing that role back last season to Vlachodimos. This summer has seen the arrival of new manager Roger Schmidt who has reinstated the 31 year old Brazilian netminder back to the role he once held.
Helton's role as the clubs number one keeper could be short lived with Benfica linked to a host of keepers during the summer months, the latest being Eintracht Frankfurt's number one man Kevin Trapp. Benfica have also been linked with Trabzonspor keeper Ugurcan Cakir and Arsenal's Bernd Leno.
Look for Benfica to complete a few moves at the position before the transfer window closes this summer, the first of which should see a new number one arrive at the Luz and the second move should see the departure of their Greek keeper Vlachodimos.
Aursnes was a key piece of Feyenoord's run to the Europa Conference League Final during the last campaign and appeared in 47 games across all competitions, scoring once while setting up four goals. Feyenoord are rumoured to be looking for around €12M to €15M for the players services, which would be a hefty profit from the €500K they paid Molde.
Benfica's upcoming Champions League qualifying schedule is the reason that the club will play their first two games of the season on back to back Fridays, disappointing many of their North American fan base who may be stuck at work and unable to catch the action of the season start. Benfica are set to face the winners of Midtjylland or AEK Larnaca in the third qualifying round phase for a spot in this seasons Champions League group stage.
Seferovic joined Benfica during the summer of 2017 on a free transfer and has appeared in 187 games for the club across all competitions, scoring 74 goals while setting up an additional 24. Seferovic won the golden boot in Portugal during the 2018/19 season with 23 goals and was the runner up for the award during the 2020/21 season with 22 goals. Seferovic has won one League Championship and two Super Cups while a member of Benfica.
The German manager would like to see the club invest in a striker in the mold of Darwin, who is fast and has a good ability to finish. Schmidt is also open to the idea of adding a couple of other players to the squad, preferably in the midfield and in net. Benfica have already added six new reinforcements this summer, having spent €46.8M in those acquisitions with only Mihailo Ristic signing on a free transfer.
Benfica is set to commence their quest for a spot in this upcoming seasons Champions League group stage in the next month and will learn their third qualifying round opponents this week.
Aouar has appeared in 214 games across all competitions for Lyon, scoring 40 goals while setting up 35 assists. The Frenchman was seen as the next big thing but his career went the way of his club who have slid away from contention in France. Benfica are not alone in their interest of Aouar with Spanish side Real Betis also being linked with the midfielder, Lyon are ready to move on from the player for a reported €10M.
Benfica also announced earlier today that they would be loaning center back Ferro to Dutch club Vitesse for the season.
I have been a Benfica fan for as long as I can remember, the love of the club started at a young age in a household full of Benfica fans. The first football club that I watched live in a stadium, the first football club that brought me joy and at times tears. Benfica was in my blood and I have enjoyed every minute of the ups and downs.
Looking back as far as I can remember there were always certain players that stood out to me, players that I wanted to see in the starting eleven every game and not understanding at a young age that players needed to rest and could not always dress in the colours that I loved. The disappointment of injuries and the departure of these set of players pulled at my heart strings throughout my childhood and to some degree into my adult life.
Benfica are a club that means so much to so many people not only in Portugal but around the globe and to be a fan of this club has provided all of us with cherished moments. We all have our favourite players and wish that these players had a chance to play all at the same time on the field together but alas for people that have been fans for decades this is not always possible.
We all have our favourite and who we think is our best Benfica staring XI in our lifetime and these are mine going back to 1990 in a 4-4-2:
The exit of River Plate from the Copa Libertadores last week is a blessing in disguise for Benfica as the club will see the arrival of their newly acquired midfielder Enzo Fernandez this week, as opposed to a later date if River Plate was to remain in the tournament. Benfica will announce the acquisition of Fernandez after his arrival in Lisbon having acquired the 21 year old last month for €10M plus an additional €8M in addons.
Fernandez was caught at the Buenos Aires airport before his departure to Portugal earlier today and had the opportunity to speak to journalists making sure that all knew of his excitement to be joining Benfica. Fernandez also stated that it has been a childhood dream of playing in Europe and he is prepared to give his all for Benfica as he always has with River Plate.
Fernandez is considered by many as one of the more exciting up and coming Argentinian players and a potential future star with the national side. Benfica hope to continue to grow the player to his full potential as they continue their preparation for the upcoming season.
What is not known at this time is if Sporting will also file a suit against Inter Milan since they state that both the Italian club and Joao Mario agreed to the anti-clause fee of €30M at the time of Joao Mario's sale from Sporting to Inter. The 29 year old is currently enjoying his first camp under new Benfica manager Roger Schmidt and is said to be calm about the labour court filing by his former club and is currently focused on finding a role under his new manager for the upcoming 2022/23 season.
Benfica will take on FC Porto in Week 10 at the Dragao and host the return leg in Week 27. Benfica will face off against their city rivals Sporting in Week 16 at the Luz and then travel to Alvalade for a Week 33 encounter.
Brazilian clubs Flamengo and Botafogo are both said to be interested in the services of the 28 year old who last played in Brazil back in 2011 for Resende-RJ before joining Juventus under 19 side in Italy. Benfica are open to selling Gabriel if their price point is met but are also open to another loan for the midfielder. Gabriel last appeared in a game with Benfica in May of 2021 were he picked up an assist in a victory over Guimaraes in league play.
Benfica who have a bundle of cash from their €75M sale of striker Darwin Nunez last month, are looking to add a player that has appeared in 74 games across all competitions for Corinthians, having yet to score a goal and setting up one in his time with the club. Victor is currently under the orders of Portuguese manager Vitor Pereira has been with Corinthians since the winter of 2017.
