Marco Silva to make one change to Benfica's XI v St Gallen | OneFootball

Marco Silva is expected to make just one change to Benfica’s starting eleven for the home match against St. Gallen, in the second leg of the Europa League second qualifying round. Everything suggests that Leandro Barreiro will return to the starting lineup, taking the place that was given to young Miguel Figueiredo in the first leg.

The Luxembourg international started pre-season with the squad from day one and was in the starting lineup for the warm-up matches against Flamengo and Villarreal, forming a midfield duo with Enzo Barrenechea. However, a respiratory infection ruled him out of the squad for the match played in Switzerland, forcing Marco Silva to change his plans.

Faced with that setback, the coach fielded Manu Silva and Miguel Figueiredo in midfield, but the young Under-17 World Cup winner has since returned to the B team. The decision was linked to the characteristics of the Portuguese midfielder, whom he sees as a more attack-minded player, as he did not want to line up with two players of similar profile.

As such, Manu Silva is expected to keep his place in the starting lineup, now alongside Leandro Barreiro, in a match in which Benfica are obliged to overturn the 2-1 defeat suffered in the first leg to secure their place in European competition.

The match could also mark António Silva’s farewell, as he is very close to joining Bournemouth in a transfer that could reach €25 million. Meanwhile, the coach now has the full squad together following the return of the players who took part in the World Cup.

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