Leverkusen boss admits resting familiar face ahead of Benfica trip | OneFootball

Benfica faces Bayer Leverkusen in the fourth round of the first phase of the Champions League. Before visiting Luz, the pharmacists faced Bayern Munich, with Kasper Hjulmand resting Alejandro Grimaldo for the clash with the Eagles.

"He didn't have the red flag, but rather the orange, or rather, the dark orange from the doctors. He played with great intensity in so many games. He and Aleix Garcia played in all the games. We then started with Aleix. After 45 minutes, we rested him for the upcoming games, because he also had some pressure on his legs"

"Of course, we would have put Grimaldo to play if he was fully ready, as he has been our most influential player so far. It's important not to force him to play and end up getting injured for a long time. It's not the right time of the season to play with the players' health".

In service of Benfica, Alejandro Grimaldo – valued at 30 million euros – played 303 matches, scored 27 goals, and made 61 assists. With the Sacred Mantle, the Spanish international won nine titles: four National Championships, three Cândido de Oliveira Super Cups, one Portuguese Cup, and one League Cup.

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