Sporting derby leaves marks as José Mourinho weighs fitness concerns at Benfica | OneFootball

According to Glorioso 1904, Benfica’s staff are concerned about several players’ fitness after the Alvalade derby, and José Mourinho granted a day off on Monday, 20 April, to rest the squad and assess those most fatigued.

The players were set to return on Tuesday, 21 April, to start preparing for Moreirense on Saturday, 25 April. Mourinho aims to identify who emerged in poorer shape, with a few cases viewed as more worrying.

The standout issue involved Tomás Araújo, who started against Sporting but was withdrawn on 77 minutes with pain in his right calf after more than three weeks without playing. Andreas Schjelderup and Gianluca Prestianni also showed strong signs of fatigue.

With a long campaign beginning to bite, Mourinho will take added care with preparations to avoid risking a key piece of his tactical set-up at such a critical point, with second place the main objective.

Benfica won at Alvalade through goals from Andreas Schjelderup on 27 minutes and Rafa Silva in the 90+3'. The result moved them provisionally into second in Liga Portugal Betclic on 72 points, although Sporting have a game in hand and could reclaim the position.

Source: Glorioso 1904