Benfica prays to every saint for Sporting to win the Portuguese Cup | OneFootball

Benfica are facing an unusual situation in the coming weeks and are 'forced' to support Sporting in the Portuguese Cup final. All because the outcome of the clash between the Lions and Torreense could completely change the Eagles' European schedule for next season.

After finishing the Betclic League in third place, the team in red were left having to play in the 2nd qualifying round of the Europa League, scheduled for 23 July. That would mean a very early start to pre-season, forcing the club from Luz to begin preparations as early as the start of July.

On top of that, the impact would be even greater because of the World Cup. If they had to start the season too early, Benfica would run the risk of beginning preparations without several internationals, at a time when the competition would still be taking place in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

However, there is a solution to avoid that scenario. If Sporting win the Portuguese Cup at Jamor, the direct place in the next stage of the Europa League passes to the team that finished third in the league, in other words Benfica, allowing the Eagles to escape a real "hell" of qualifying matches.

In practice, a win for Rui Borges's team would allow Benfica to avoid six European qualifying matches — in the 2nd and 3rd qualifying rounds, as well as the playoff. It is worth remembering that the Lions have qualified for the Champions League.

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