Benfica have Porto in path to Taca de Portugal title

Benfica will face Farense in the round of 16 on their quest to capture their 30th Taca de Portugal title and first since 2017.

In their path to capture the title is long time rivals FC Porto who the club would face in the quarter-final stage of the competition if both clubs are to get past their opponents. Porto's opponents in the round of 16 will be Famalicao.

Benfica will face Farense away from home on December 17 with the quarter-final stage set to take place around January 11 but in the meantime, Benfica will need to turn their attention to cross town rivals Sporting as both clubs are set to clash in a league encounter this Friday. 

Benfica ready to chase Utrecht left back El Karouani

Benfica and rivals FC Porto are said to have reached out to Utrecht about the availability of Moroccan left back Souffian El Karouani, according to reports out of Spain and has caught the attention of many squads with his fine first half of the season performance in the Netherlands.

El Karouani currently leads the Eredivisie with eight assists and has provided thirteen helpers across all competitions while chipping in three goals in over 2,000 minutes of action. El Karouani who was born in the Netherlands decided to join Morocco's national program debuting with the African side in 2021.

The 25 year old joined Utrecht in the summer of 2023 from NEC Nijmegen on a free transfer and with his current contract set to expire in the summer of 2026. Utrecht are hoping to cash during the winter window with a club that wants the player this season before he walks away for free.

With attack is El Karouani's hallmark, he does provide solid defensive coverage and ranks highly in duels won in the Eredivisie. This is the type of player that Benfica bench boss Mourinho covets and will be pushing the club's hierarchy to make the move.

 

Benfica get first Champions League win of the season

It took five games into the League Phase of the Champions League but Benfica finally got their first win of the competition, when they traveled to the Netherlands and defeated fellow cellar dweller Ajax 2-0.

The win provides the club with a sliver of hope of moving into the playoffs of the competition but with Napoli, Juventus and Real Madrid remaining on their schedule, the club will be in tough to advance again into the knockout rounds.

Benfica got a first half goal from Samuel Dahl, the club's first goal since the first half of their opening game and an injury time goal from Leandro Barreiro in the second half to seal the victory for the Lisbon side.

Jose Mourinho earned his first competitive victory in the competition not including qualifiers since he was on the sideline of Manchester United in December of 2017. 

Benfica will next host Napoli at the Luz on December 10.