Press crunches the numbers: Benfica’s Champions League hopes in trouble | OneFootball

The defeat last night, October 21, in Newcastle, complicated in many ways the chances of Benfica progressing in the Champions League. According to calculations, with zero points accumulated in the first three rounds, the team faces the risk of having the same outcome as several clubs did in the previous edition.

According to the newspaper Record, José Mourinho's team - reluctant due to the lack of wingers - needs to do something it hasn't done yet: win. Only then can the Eagles turn the situation around and perhaps secure a place in the next round.

The same source warns that in the previous edition, all clubs that finished the first three rounds with zero points ended up eliminated. The only exception was Club Brugge, which managed to accumulate 11 points and secure a place in the playoffs, however, the Belgians were not solely dependent on themselves, and the qualification happened due to a combination of several favorable factors.

However, to the misfortune of the team, Benfica's desperation for points will have to overcome complicated obstacles, in the form of Bayer Leverkusen, Napoli, Juventus, Ajax, and Real Madrid. Thus, José Mourinho's team will have to do the improbable to secure a spot in the next phase of the competition.

On the other hand, the Club of Light is not the only team going through this point drought. Athletic Bilbao, one of Sporting's opponents, is seeking its first victory in the tournament, facing Qarabag, which has two wins in two matches. Interestingly, Ajax, which will play against the Eagles, also presents the same problem.

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