Look at this, Mourinho! Benfica stats worrying ahead of Newcastle clash | OneFootball

It is no lie that one of the trademarks of Benfica is the offensive flow that the team presents on the field, which generally translates into many goals. However, this season, something suggests that the trend might not continue the same way with José Mourinho and the numbers presented raise some concern.

According to the newspaper A Bola, on the eve of another European clash against Newcastle, the Eagles have shown a record that reveals the average expected goals in both goals has substantially reduced. Figures that may please some but at the same time, raise some apprehension.

According to the data recorded so far, in 2025/26, Benfica, under the command of Bruno Lage and José Mourinho, has a record of 23 goals scored and eight conceded in 16 official matches. The Setubal native, who led the team in 10 matches, has an average of 1.50 expected goals and 0.50 goals conceded (15-5). With the Special One, the averages are 1.33 and 0.50 (8-3).

Despite these numbers, the data reveals that this Benfica is far from the marks achieved in previous seasons. In 2022/2023 (Roger Schmidt): 131-40 in 55 games, averages of 2.38 and 0.73. In the following season, 2023/2024 (Roger Schmidt): 114-54 in 56 games, averages of 2.04 and 0.96. Finally, in the previous season, 2024/2025 (Roger Schmidt and Bruno Lage): 145-58 in 60 games, averages of 2.41 and 0.97.

Since José Mourinho arrived, Benfica has indeed conceded fewer goals, however, they have also scored on fewer occasions. Nevertheless, it is expected that against Newcastle, where the Special One made the preview, the Club of Light will achieve a positive result in the Champions League.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.