Benfica - Braga | Likely XI with Champions League millions in mind | OneFootball

Anatoliy Trubin, Amar Dedic, António Silva, Tomás Araújo, Samuel Dahl, Fredrik Aursnes, Leandro Barreiro, Gianluca Prestianni, Andreas Schjelderup, Rafa Silva and Vangelis Pavlidis are expected to be the eleven players chosen by José Mourinho to start the match between Benfica and Braga, for matchday 33 of the Liga Portugal Betclic.

This will be the final game of the 2025/26 season to be played at the Estádio da Luz, and the Eagles are aiming for a grand farewell as they look to hold on to second place, which secures qualification for the Champions League. At the press conference, José Mourinho highlighted the importance of the match and also spoke about the changes he would have to make due to the absences of Nicolás Otamendi and Richard Ríos.

With no real surprise, Trubin will be Benfica’s goalkeeper, remaining the Special One’s first choice. In defense, compared to the clash in Famalicão, the only change will be the inclusion of Tomás Araújo, who will fill Otamendi’s spot. Gonçalo Oliveira will be on the bench.

In midfield, much like what happened in the match against Famalicão, the Special One will also be forced into further changes. With Ríos sidelined, Leandro Barreiro will drop back alongside Aursnes, allowing Rafa Silva to return to the starting eleven. In attack, there is a strong possibility that Pavlidis will replace Franjo Ivanovic.

It should be noted that the match between Benfica and Braga was postponed to this Monday, April 11, to accommodate the Minho side’s rest period after they played in Germany in the Europa League. The match will be broadcast on BTV, and live commentary can be heard on Benfica FM.

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