Nicolás Otamendi suspended for Porto trip, Gonçalo Oliveira tipped to start for Benfica | OneFootball

According to Glorioso 1904, José Mourinho has already set Benfica’s contingency for Porto, with Nicolás Otamendi suspended and Gonçalo Oliveira seen as the likeliest starter.

António Silva remains a doubt, and it still needs deciding who partners Tomás Araújo. Oliveira is in pole position to shore up the defence against Porto’s attack.

Otamendi’s absence stems from his straight red card in the League Cup semi-final against Braga, which rules him out of the visit to Porto.

The tie is on Wednesday, 14 January 2026, kick-off 20:45, at the Estádio do Dragão. It is a Taça de Portugal Generali Tranquilidade quarter-final and will be shown on RTP 1.

This season, Oliveira has 16 outings for Benfica, 11 in the Segunda Liga and five in the UEFA Youth League. Across 1,395 minutes, the centre-back, under contract until 2027, has scored four goals and produced two assists. He is also on the radar of a European giant and is valued at 2 million euros.

Source: Glorioso 1904