Marco Silva knows who he can rely on for Benfica return; Find out | OneFootball

Benfica’s squad returns this Thursday, June 25, to training at Seixal, beginning preparations for the 2026/27 season. The start of training will be marked by the absence of several internationals, namely Tomás Araújo, Alexander Bah (Dedic), Richard Ríos, Fredrik Aursnes, Dodi Lukebakio and Andreas Schjelderup, all still on duty with their respective national teams at the 2026 World Cup.

They are joined by other players who may be authorized by the club to delay their return, in an initial phase of preparation that will be gradual. In recent weeks, several members of the Eagles squad have been sharing content on social media showing increased focus and preparation for the new season.

After a season below expectations, ending with Benfica in third place in the league, ambition is growing inside the dressing room, especially among the less-used players, who are looking to earn a place with the new coaching staff. One of the standout cases is Georgiy Sudakov. The Ukrainian attacking midfielder was unable to fully live up to expectations in his debut season, despite recording four goals and five assists in 36 matches.

Marco Silva has already publicly stated that he counts on the player for the new season, even indicating that there is a specific plan in place to maximize his performance. Sudakov returned early and is already training at Seixal.

Samuel Soares, António Silva, Vangelis Pavlidis, Manu Silva, Bruma, Tiago Gouveia and Anísio Cabral have also already started individual training before the official start of pre-season. In most cases, the players have been working with personal fitness coaches, a sign of strong motivation to impress the new coaching staff. The coaching setup that succeeded José Mourinho is thus preparing for the start of a season in which the club aims to return to the fight for titles.

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