Benfica pin hopes on English club to avoid Champions League nightmare | OneFootball

Braga’s elimination — where Rodrigo Zalazar plays — in the Europa League semi-finals has definitively ended Portugal’s chances of placing three clubs directly into the regular phase of next season’s Champions League. Even so, Benfica still hopes to avoid the most complicated scenario, and everything may now depend on an English club.

The Eagles know that finishing the league in second place could force them to go through two qualifying rounds to reach the Champions League league phase. However, there is a combination of results that could completely change that picture and automatically place the Portuguese runners-up among the teams directly qualified for UEFA’s millionaire competition, and it may all depend on... Aston Villa.

For that to happen, the Birmingham club will have to win the Europa League, having already secured a place in the final against Freiburg. In addition to European glory, the English side also needs to finish the Premier League inside the top four, a scenario that remains completely open in this final stretch of the season.

UEFA rules state that if the Europa League winner already qualifies for the Champions League through its domestic league, the extra spot will be awarded to the club with the best coefficient among those entering the qualifying rounds. And that is precisely where Benfica appears in a privileged position.

At the Estádio da Luz, they are therefore keeping a close eye on how the English season and the European final unfold. After a campaign marked by enormous pressure surrounding qualification for the Champions League, the Eagles know that unexpected help from England could be worth its weight in gold and avoid a real nightmare at the start of next season.

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