Chaos in Famalicão leaves Benfica in survival mode v Braga | OneFootball

After dropping points in a controversial draw against Famalicão, Benfica are looking to bounce back and intend to do so against Braga. However, in their home clash with the Minho side, José Mourinho will have the difficult task of finding solutions to cover for the absences of Nicolás Otamendi and Richard Ríos, who were sanctioned in Minho.

As reported by Record, the Argentine centre-back, like the Colombian midfielder, will not be able to contribute in the home match against Carlos Vicens’ side, after both were shown cards by Gustavo Correia, the referee who was at the centre of the controversy in Famalicão, where he made several mistakes during the game.

The Argentine defender was sent off after a VAR review in the 59th minute, when Benfica were leading 2-0, leaving the Eagles a man down. Ríos, meanwhile, was at risk of receiving his fifth booking, and ended up being shown a yellow card in the closing minutes of the lengthy stoppage time, which lasted 15 minutes.

With the absences of both players confirmed for the Liga Portugal Betclic Matchday 33 clash, José Mourinho will have the complicated task of replacing two key starters. However, the biggest difficulty will be Otamendi’s case, since Tomás Araújo has still not recovered from his muscle injury and António Silva is the only available defender.

This season, playing for Benfica, Richard Ríos — valued at €22 million — has already made 44 appearances: 26 in Liga Portugal Betclic, 12 in the Champions League, three in the Portuguese Cup, two in the League Cup and one in the Super Cup. .

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