Heads up! If Benfica beat Hearts, they know possible Europa League rivals | OneFootball

Benfica already know the path they could take to reach the Europa League league phase. If they eliminate Hearts in the third qualifying round, Marco Silva’s side will face the loser of the Champions League tie between Denmark’s AGF Aarhus and Azerbaijan’s Sabah FK.

It was also determined that, if they confirm their place in the final qualifying round, Benfica will play the first leg of the play-off at the Estádio da Luz on 20 August, before travelling to their opponent’s ground a week later, on 27 August. The official dates and kick-off times will be confirmed by UEFA after the conclusion of the third qualifying round.

The Eagles secured their place at this stage of the competition after eliminating St. Gallen. Despite a 2-1 defeat in the first leg in Switzerland, Benfica responded emphatically at the Estádio da Luz, thrashing the Swiss side 5-0, with Vangelis Pavlidis standing out by scoring the team’s first four goals.

Hearts, meanwhile, reached the third qualifying round of the Europa League after being knocked out of the Champions League by Sturm Graz. The Scottish side, managed by Portuguese coach Cláudio Braga, were beaten by the Austrians in both legs of the tie and therefore saw their European campaign switch to UEFA’s second competition.

Before thinking about a possible play-off, Benfica must first get past the Edinburgh side. The first leg of the tie is scheduled for Thursday at the Estádio da Luz, while the decider will take place on 13 August at Tynecastle Park in Scotland. If they confirm their status as favourites against Hearts, Marco Silva’s team will be just one tie away from securing a place in the Europa League league phase.

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