Benfica drop points with lacklustre display in Minho

In a lackluster display of football, Benfica dropped crucial points against Moreirense with a scoreless draw, putting their top spot in Portugal's league at risk to rivals Sporting. The match was marked by a lack of creativity and intensity from the Benfica players, who seemed unable to break through Moreirense's solid defensive display.

Benfica's attacking line continues to struggle to find the back of the net and is a shadow of the club known for its flair and goal-scoring abilities last season. The team lacks cohesion and is struggling to create clear-cut chances in their encounters. With Sporting set to play today, a victory by their Lisbon rivals will see them move into sole possession of the top spot, dropping Benfica to second.

The draw against Moreirense not only puts Benfica's top spot at risk but also highlights some underlying issues within the team. The club continues to play with no wing backs due to injuries and Schmidt's lack of trust in what he has on hand. This creates breakdowns in the attack as both Aursnes and Morato provide little in offensive flair while their defensive coverage continues to be exploited.

It is essential for Benfica's coaching staff to address these concerns promptly, as the club is getting half a performance from these two players when out of their natural positions, which hampers the overall club performance as Benfica could be considered to be a man down every moment of the match.

The winter transfer window can not come soon enough and is less than a month away. Benfica needs to shore up their wing back positions if they are to contend for the league crown this year. The holes are so glaring at the moment that the club might just disappear into a black hole if they do not.

Benfica closing in on Boavista right back

Benfica and Boavista are in advanced talks about right back Pedro Malheiro, as Benfica looks to shore up the position, which has had a hole for most of the season due to injuries to starter Alexander Bah. The 22 year old Malheiro has been on the Lisbon club's radar since last season and looks set to become the Eagles first winter signing.

Malheiro has been out of action with an muscle injury since Week 5 of the season but is set to return shortly. He is currently represented by Jorge Mendes' Gestifute agency. Benfica are hoping to land the right back for €4M and see him as a better alternative to the current merry go round of players that have been exposed due to playing out of position in the role.

Benfica ready to sneak in for Estudiantes winger

Benfica's name has been linked to another Argentinian winger as the club looks to beat out a host of teams from across Europe, for Estudiantes' 23 year old Benjamin Rollheiser. Benfica is set to announce the acquisition of Velez Sarsfield's 18 year old winger Gianluca Prestianni in the coming weeks and hopes to beat out Newcastle, Zenit St. Petersburg, and CSKA Moscow for another Argentinian winger's signature.

Rollheiser has appeared in 56 games for Estudiantes this season across all competitions, scoring twelve goals and providing eight helpers in 4,273 minutes of action. Rollheiser joined Estudiantes in the summer of 2022 on a free transfer after spending a good amount of time in the River Plate system.

Benfica seem to be looking ahead to potential replacement's for Angel di Maria, whose contract is up at the end of this season, as both Prestianni and Rollheiser predominately play on the right side of the attacking forward wing.