With eyes on the Silver Ball, Pavlidis seeks a cure in Arouca v Benfica | OneFootball

Vangelis Pavlidis looks to relaunch the race for the Silver Ball. At a time when the Greek striker is going through a goal drought, having not scored in five consecutive games, the number 14 is seeking to rediscover his killer instinct against Arouca - Benfica, an opponent that has been his favorite 'victim'.

According to the newspaper A Bola, the main scorer for the Clube da Luz is experiencing an even longer goalless streak than he did last season. So far, Pavlidis hasn't scored since February 13 and, since then, has drawn blanks against Real Madrid (twice), AFS, Gil Vicente, and Porto. He also hasn't contributed any assists, which is unprecedented.

Currently the player with the most appearances for the Eagles, it is more than expected that the number 14 will start against Arouca. On the other hand, as the same source reports, since arriving at Benfica, Vasco Seabra's team has been Pavlidis' favorite 'victim'.

Heading into his fourth encounter against the Arouca side, the Greek already has four goals scored, trailing only Moreirense, the striker's main target, against whom he has already netted five times. In the first round, at Estádio da Luz, Pavlidis scored a hat-trick in Benfica's 5-0 thrashing, which also featured goals from Nicolás Otamendi and Franjo Ivanovic.

This season, playing for Benfica, Vangelis Pavlidis - valued at 35 million euros - has already played a total of 45 official matches: 25 in Liga Portugal Betclic, 14 in the Champions League, three in the Portuguese Cup, two in the League Cup, and one in the Super Cup. In the 3,698 minutes he has spent on the pitch, the Greek has recorded 28 goals and five assists.

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