Benfica return to league play with an upcoming tilt on the road against Azorian club Santa Clara as they look to get back to their winning ways and maintain their league lead before the International break kicks in. The
game
will take place today at 6pm WEST and 18 players from the list below
will
dress for the game.
Keepers- Vlachodimos, Ivan Zlobin, Mile Svilar
Defenders- Ferro, Alex Grimaldo, Jardel, Tomas Tavares, Andre Almeida, Ruben Dias
Midfielders- Pizzi, Franco Cervi, Gedson Fernandes, Gabriel, Florentino, Taarabt, Chiquinho, Caio Lucas
Forwards- Seferovic, Jota, Carlos Vinicius, Raul de Tomas
Benfica are currently replacing the field at Estadio da Luz for the third time since June as they club looks for a field that will assist the club playing their brand of football more smoothly. Benfica has received complaints from the squads players and visiting clubs about the pitches poor condition this season. Manager Bruno Lage has also gone as far as saying that the poor pitch may have been a contributing factor to the clubs recent rash of injuries this season. Benfica will not play a home game at the Estadio da Luz again until November 30 so the club made the decision to have the current pitch ripped out and replaced.
Benfica manager Bruno Lage is glad to be seeing the old pitch gone and hopes the replacement works for the clubs style but more importantly Lage admits that the health of his players and of visiting players has always been his main concern.
Benfica's Swiss striker Haris Seferovic is being linked with a move to Italian side Roma according to reports coming from Italy. Roma who are currently managed by Portuguese Paulo Fonseca are looking for an alternative to 33 year old Edin Dzeko and with currently loanee Nikola Kalinic failing to impress have turned their attention to the Lisbon side. The 27 year old Seferovic signed a new contract with Benfica over the summer that puts him under Benfica control until the 2024 season, the new deal also includes a €60M buy out clause. Seferovic joined Benfica on a free transfer in the summer of 2017 and won the golden boot in the Portuguese league last season with 23 goals. Seferovic has appeared in 96 games for Benfica across all competitions, scoring 38 goals while setting up 13. Benfica who have already earned an enormous amount during the summer transfer window will be looking to cash in on the big Swiss striker which may not bode well for Roma's ambitions.
