Mourinho’s headache: Who starts in Benfica’s midfield for Clássico? | OneFootball

Richard Ríos and Enzo Barrenechea formed the duo that played and won the most in Benfica's midfield. The Colombian and the Argentine were chosen by Bruno Lage and José Mourinho for the Eagles' starting lineup in 25 of the season's 45 games, with Benfica winning 15 times, drawing six, and losing four games. But now everything changes with Fredrik Aursnes' injury and the consolidation of Leandro Barreiro.

The Luxembourg international has been Aursnes' main partner, even though it hasn't been the most winning combination (8 games, 4 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses, two of them against Real Madrid), it is linked to the best moment of the Mourinho era, playing a significant role in the team's improved performance and the quality of football played.

Barreiro and Ríos is one of the possible duos, but it would be unprecedented. They have been in the same starting eleven, but never as midfield partners. Another possible duo, Leandro Barreiro - Enzo Barrenechea - the most likely, according to the press - (or the Argentine on the right), has already been successfully tested twice (victory against Santa Clara, for the League, in the Azores, and against Tondela, for the League Cup, at Luz), but it also doesn't have the experience Mourinho would certainly prefer to face a classic with Porto.

Nevertheless, Barreiro-Barrenechea could even allow for the inclusion of Richard Ríos in the starting lineup, who played on the right in Madrid, in a team that didn't have Gianluca Prestianni, but had Barreiro and Aursnes more centrally.

It's worth noting that Benfica will take the field next Sunday, March 8th, against Porto. The match, part of the 25th round of the Liga Portugal Betclic, against the team led by Francesco Farioli, will be played at 18:00, at the Estádio da Luz.

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