Mourinho can't catch a break: Benfica boss faces yet another headache | OneFootball

Preparing for the visit to Chaves in the best possible way, Benfica might find itself without an important player for the match against the Flavienses. According to reports, Nicolás Otamendi will return to Portugal later than initially planned, after the Argentine national team changed the dates.

The newspaper O Jogo writes in its Saturday edition, October 11, that the number 30 of the Clube da Luz is expected to arrive just in time on October 17, as instead of playing in the early hours of the 13th, he will be in action the following day (14th). This is because Argentina changed the logistics of the match against Puerto Rico.

According to the same source, the reason for the change in location and date is related to ICE - the U.S. immigration services. Initially, the match was scheduled to take place in Chicago, but due to the presence of local authorities, the Albiceleste officials moved the game to Miami, where they will play at Chase Stadium, 'home' of Lionel Messi.

This will be the first of several games that Nicolás Otamendi intends to play until the 2026 World Cup, in order to bid farewell to the fans. It is worth remembering that the Benfica captain announced last September that he will leave the national team after participating in the World Cup.

On the other hand, due to the change of dates, the Argentine risks not being an option for José Mourinho in the Portuguese Cup match. It should be noted that Otamendi could become the second significant absentee against the Flavienses, after the Eagles learned about the situation of Georgiy Sudakov.

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