Benfica's famed Seixal academy will be on display when the club gets set to face Rio Ave in Week 27 action as the club looks to right a wayward ship. With the season ending injury suffered by left back Alex Grimaldo, the almost season ending injury to center back Jardel and a suspension to right back Andre Almeida. Bruno Lage will turn to a "Made in Seixal" back four for the clubs upcoming league game. Regular starter Ruben Dias will be joined by his usual center back partner Ferro and two Tavares' on the flanks in Tomas and Nuno. The quartet will have an average age 21.25 years and it will be the first time that the club has featured four defenders from its Seixal academy as starters in a league play. Benfica is looking to salvage a season that has gotten away from them and hope that the youngsters can provide a spark with their energy going forward as the club looks to snap a run of four league draws in a row.
Benfica have released updates on injured defenders Alex Grimaldo and Jardel and the news is not good for the club or their fans. Grimaldo will miss the rest of the season after suffering ligament damage to his left knee and Jardel will miss the majority of what is left in the season possibly returning for the final couple of games due to a muscle injury in his left thigh. The two players were both injured in this weeks Portimonense encounter which will not open the door for a return to the starting eleven for Ferro and Nuno Tavares. Grimaldo has appeared in 41 games across all competitions for the club scoring once while setting up eight goals. Jardel who seems set to retire after this season has battled injuries all year and has appeared in only 12 games across all competitions.
Italian club Napoli are being linked with Benfica youngster Tomas Tavares according to reports coming from Sky Sports Italia. The 19 year old right back is seen as a possible replacement for current back up Faouzi Ghoulam. Tavares made his first team debut this season and is another product from the clubs fame Seixal academy. Tavares has appeared in 25 games across all competitions for the club this season but has yet to record a goal or an assist and has been forced into action due to regular starter Andre Almeida battling an injury bug on multiple occasions this season. Although no dollar values have been released, Benfica is notorious for wanting top dollar for their academy players and Tavares will be no different.
