Dedic gives Benfica a big headache before Qarabag clash | OneFootball

After the unexpected draw of Benfica against Santa Clara with a score of 1-1, during the fifth round of the Liga Portugal, Bruno Lage faces a real headache for the match to be played at Luz against Qarabag, counting for the first round of the Champions League. This is because the usual right-back for the team, Amar Dedic, is injured and will not be an option for the clash, forcing Lage to find solutions.

Dedic complained of knee pain during Bosnia's match against Austria and, after not being an option in the game against Santa Clara due to a suspension from the previous round, he will not be available for Bruno Lage in the Champions League. Although in the Liga Portugal game the Eagles' coach used Tomás Araújo on the right side of the defense, Lage might have other ideas for the match against Qarabag.

After the final whistle of the match against the Azoreans, Bruno Lage was specifically questioned about using Tomás Araújo again as a right-back in Benfica's match next Tuesday, to which he replied that in that game there would be "another strategy, another option".

There is no shortage of options for Benfica's right flank defense, although only one player naturally assumes the right-back position. Excluding Tomás Araújo from the equation, the first option that arises is Aursnes. The position is not unfamiliar to the midfielder, who also played there for several months to replace Bah, but such a choice would also imply changes in the midfield. There is also Leandro Santos, the only natural right-back available, or Samuel Dahl, who can also play on the right. However, using the Swede would leave a gap on the left side of the defense, which would have to be filled by Obrador, who has been little used. Although still uncertain, the simplest option would be to repeat Tomás Araújo on the right.

Benfica will host Qarabag next Tuesday, September 16, at 8:00 PM, at Estádio da Luz. The game pertains to the first round of the Champions League. Besides the Azerbaijani team, Bruno Lage's squad will face Chelsea (away), Newcastle (away), Bayer Leverkusen (home), Ajax (away), Napoli (home), Juventus (away), and Real Madrid (home).

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