With one eye on Sporting v Benfica, José Mourinho has doubts | OneFootball

José Mourinho began preparations for the derby on Tuesday, April 14. Despite having a wide range of options available, the Benfica coach is dealing with two doubts ahead of the match against Sporting: in this case, the physical condition affecting Richard Ríos and Tomás Araújo.

According to A Bola, the 63-year-old coach was back working with the Benfica squad after giving them a day off following the win over Nacional (2-0). However, from the images shared by Benfica, it was possible to notice the absence of the two players in question.

Richard Ríos, it should be remembered, came off with physical complaints in the match against the island side, which creates some doubt over his presence in the derby. However, the same source explains that the Colombian’s problem is traumatic rather than muscular, which in itself increases the chances of the number 20 recovering in time to face Sporting.

On the other hand, Tomás Araújo’s case is more complicated, with the 23-year-old footballer recovering from a muscle injury that has kept him out of Benfica’s last two matches. However, like the Colombian, his recovery is going according to plan and there is still hope of seeing the centre-back at Alvalade.

This season, playing for Benfica, Tomás Araújo — valued at €28 million — has already made a total of 36 official appearances: 20 in Liga Portugal Betclic, nine in the Champions League, four in the Portuguese Cup, two in the League Cup and one in Liga Portugal Meu Super. In the 2,538 minutes he has been on the pitch, the defender has recorded one goal and one assist.

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