Benfica have officially opened their training camp yesterday in Lisbon with 23 players reporting for physicals. Benfica will have more players join by the end of the week as players finish off their holidays due to international duties after the season. Benfica will be playing five pre-season games before facing Sporting in the Super Cup on August 4. Benfica will have their presentation game at home on July 10 and will play one more game in Portugal before leaving for North America to participate in the International Champions Cup.
Benfica pre-season schedule
July 10/19 vs Anderlecht
July 13/19 vs Academica
July 20/19 vs Chivas
July 25/19 vs Fiorentina
July 28/19 vs AC Milan
Benfica have re-acquired midfielder Chiquinho from Moreirense for €4.5M and sign him for five seasons. Benfica acquired the 23 year old midfielder in the summer of 2018 from Academica for €600,000 and then released him to join Moreirense with first option to buy if the Northern club were to sell the player. Chiquinho had a break out season playing for Moreirense, his first in the Portuguese league and appeared in all 34 league games. Chiquinho scored eight times while setting up seven goals last season and was the runner up to player of the month on two occasions, while also finishing third on another.
Benfica look set to loan out Alfa Semedo again this season after the midfielder spent the second half of the season last year on loan at Espanyol. Wigan are said to be the club interested in receiving Semedo's services as they battle in the English second tier championship. Benfica and Wigan have been in discussions about forming a partnership in which players would be loaned between the two clubs with Semedo being the first player of this negotiation. Benfica acquired Semedo last summer from Moreirense for €2.5M and the midfielder appeared in five league games and three Champions League games scoring in one of those appearances.
