Benfica draw Toulouse in Europa League playoff

Benfica found out their opponents earlier today when they were drawn against French club Toulouse for their Europa League playoff which will take place in a two leg affair in February on the 15th and 22nd. Benfica will host the first leg at their famous Estadio da Luz before traveling to France for the second leg.

Toulouse finished runner up in their Europa League group, one point behind group winners Liverpool, earning a victory over the English club at home during match day four. Toulouse's Ligue 1 season has been rather disappointing with the club currently sitting 15th in the league standings with just two wins on the season which is one less then they got in the Europa League.

The winner of this clash will move into the Europa League round of 16 were they will face one of the eight group winners that have a bye for this upcoming round.

San Lorenzo eyed right back signs new contract

San Lorenzo's 19 year old right back Agustin Giay has signed a new contract until 2026 with his Argentinian club with the main kicker being an increase to his buy out clause which now stands at around €18M. The move was made to protect San Lorenzo's asset who is wanted by a host of European club's which include Lisbon side Benfica.

Benfica may find the cost to land Giay to be in the higher end range then the club would like to pay and moved towards a more affordable option in Boavista right back Pedro Malheiro. This is not to say that Benfica have given up on Giay but more so that they want to negotiate a lower price tag for the services of the Argentinian U20 captain. 

Benfica play complete game to move into Europa League

Benfica went into their game against RB Salzburg knowing that they needed a two-goal victory if they were to continue playing in a UEFA competition this season, although it would have to be in the second-tier Europa League with advancement out of the Champions League group not happening this year.

When all was said and done, Benfica did just that, needing an additional time goal from the unluckiest of heroes, in Arthur Cabral, to seal a 3-1 victory in Austria in what may have just been their most complete game of the season. The final score was flattering to Salzburg, who were heavily outplayed in this contest, and if not for some poor finishing, the final score could have been double what it ended up being.

Benfica will now move into the Europa League playoff where they will face a group stage runner-up who is already in the Europa League with a spot in the round of 16 going to the eventual winner of the two-legged affair. Benfica will play the first contest at home, with the second leg against their opponent at their home stadium.