Benfica get reinforcements for crucial second leg Europa League game

As Benfica prepares for the decisive second leg of their UEFA Europa League second qualifying round tie against St. Gallen this week at Estadio da Luz, a major boost has arrived for the club with the full return of their 2026 World Cup participants.

Key players including Fredrik Aursnes, Richard Rios, Andreas Schjelderup and Dodi Lukebakio have all arrived at the Luz as they were enjoying post-tournament rest after featuring at the FIFA World Cup 2026. The players are now back in training and expected to bolster Marco Silva’s squad. These internationals missed the challenging first leg in Switzerland, where a depleted Benfica side fell to a 2-1 defeat to the hosts.

The Eagles will welcome the greater squad depth with the integration of recent arrivals like Clement Lenglet and Jakub Kaminski, alongside academy talents who stepped up admirably in the first leg. With a one-goal deficit to overturn, the timely reinforcements provide fresh legs, tactical options and experience in the high-stakes European night.

Supporters are optimistic that the return of these stars will help Benfica assert dominance at home and over turn the first leg deficit to advance to the next phase of the competition and avoid an embarrassing drop to the Conference League if they fail to do so.