Benfica manager Jorge Jesus is coming along well as he deals with a respiratory infection due to being infected with COVID-19 since testing positive on January 28. Jesus is currently resting at home and is constantly being monitored by Benfica's medical team. Jesus will miss his third Benfica game tomorrow as the club takes on Guimaraes in Week 17 action after suffering a devastating loss to Lisbon rivals Sporting in Week 16 action. Benfica currently sit in fourth place in the league and are nine points behind league leaders Sporting as the season gets set to hit the half way mark.
Benfica keeper Odysseas Vlachodimos is on German club Borussia Dortmund's radar according to reports coming from the publication BILD. Dortmund's management team are said to be looking for a new number one keeper next season, as they have grown tired of current starter Roman Burki's inconsistency. Dortmund have been informed that Benfica's current keeper would not come cheap as he has a contract with the Lisbon side until the summer of 2024. Vlachodimos is famaliar with the Bundesliga having gone through Stuttgart's youth system and arrived at Benfica in the summer of 2018 from Greek club Panathinaikos for €2.4M. The 26 year old German born keeper who chose to play football for Greece internationally due to his family lineage has appeared in 116 games across all competitions for Benfica since joining the club with 44 clean sheets to his name.
Benfica advanced to the Taca de Portugal semi-final after a convincing 3-0 win over Belenenses SAD and will now take on surprising semi-finalist and second division side Estoril in a two leg encounter. Benfica got first half goals from Darwin Nunez and Rafa Silva, while Franco Cervi chipped in a second half goal to finish the scoring for the hosts. Benfica will play the first leg at Estoril between February 9-11 while hosting the second leg between March 2-4. The victory was much needed for the Lisbon side who have been dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak within its squad and staff over the past few weeks, with manager Jorge Jesus being the latest to test positive for the virus. The winner of the Benfica/Estoril encounter will take on the winner of FC Porto/Braga in the Finals scheduled to take place on May 23rd at Jamor.
