Benfica return to European play hoping to keep streak going

Benfica travel to Turin to take on Italian side Juventus in their seventh league game of the Champions League phase. The Lisbon side will be looking to make it three wins in a row in Europe after suffering four straight defeats, as they fight to get to the knockout round of the competition.

After suffering a disappointing past couple of weeks, which saw the club exit both the Taca da Liga and the Taca de Portugal, Benfica will look to put a stop the misery that they have caused the club's fans and get back on the right track and a victory against Juventus will go a long way.

The two clubs met last season in the competition also at Allianz stadium and Benfica came away with a 2-0 victory. Benfica will look to keep their perfect Champions League record against Juventus intact, a stretch of five games now without a draw or defeat.

 

Benfica reach agreement with Rafa Silva to return from Besiktas

Benfica have reached an agreement with Rafa Silva for two and half seasons to return to his former club and are now working with Besiktas to seal the move as the Lisbon club hope to welcome back the 32 year old attacking forward who left as a free agent just under two seasons ago.

The two clubs are said to be close to agreeing on a fee for Rafa which would include some bonuses attached to the players performance with the club. Benfica is said to have offered Besiktas €5M + bonuses but the Turkish club is looking for a bit more (around €7.5M) before agreeing to move on from the Portuguese player.

Besiktas is said to be going as far as asking Benfica to cover Rafa's unpaid salary for November, December and January of this season, which the player is owed but has not received since he has been out of action. Rafa has appeared in 16 games for Besiktas across all competitions this season, scoring five goals while providing three helpers, after coming off a season that saw him score 18 goals.

Rafa Silva spent eight seasons with Benfica, appearing in 326 games across all competitions, he scored 94 goals while assisting on 79 goals. Rafa captured six trophies while a member of the club, capturing three league titles, a pair of Super Cups and a Taca de Portugal.  

Benfica and FC Porto to clash for spot in Final Four

Benfica and FC Porto are set to add another notch in their glorious rivalry tomorrow as the two clubs get set to face off at the Dragao in a Taca de Portugal encounter.

This O Classico promises drama, with both sides vying for a semi-final spot in Portugal's premier cup competition. Benfica, under Jose Mourinho, enters with momentum, but history looms large. The last time these giants clashed in the Taca was the 2021-22 round of 16, where Porto dominated with a 3-0 victory at home.

Mourinho, who famously led Porto to glory in the 2004 Champions League, has yet to secure a win at the Dragao as an opposition manager, adding personal intrigue to his Benfica tenure. Meanwhile, Porto President Andre Villas-Boas has not beaten Benfica since becoming club President in April 2024, so something will have to give tomorrow.

Expect a game of tactical brilliance between two fierce rivalries who have combined to capture 46 Taca de Portugal trophies, (Benfica 26; FC Porto 20) between themselves. A final four spot awaits one of them tomorrow.