Benfica will be placed in the seeded pot and will need to win their 3rd qualifying round and then a playoff round to clinch their group stage place. Their potential opponents in the 3rd round qualifying round could come from any of Monaco, Sturm Graz, Fenerbahce, AEK Larnaca, Midtylland and Union Saint-Gilloise. PSV could once again be a potential opponent in the playoff round but the Lisbon side would avoid the Dutch club in the first round of games.
Benfica have been in talks with Slavia for Bah for the past few weeks, as they look to strengthen a position that saw a rotation of players in the starting eleven last season. Bah told reporters upon his arrival to Lisbon that he was very excited to be in the country and is looking forward to getting started with the club. Bah will become Benfica's third player signing since the conclusion of the season.
Pizzi still has one year left on his contract with Benfica and the club is looking at more lucrative options for the player in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Pizzi has appeared in 357 games across all competitions for Benfica, scoring 94 goals while setting up an additional 96. Pizzi captured four League Titles along with three Super Cups, two League Cups and a Taca de Portugal in his time at Benfica.
