Leandro Barreiro shines at Benfica, more reasons to smile | OneFootball

Leandro Barreiro has been called up again to the Luxembourg national team, this time to compete in the play-off for access to League C4 of the Nations League. The team led by Jeff Strasser faces Malta in the 1st leg of the playoff on March 26, in Ta’ Qali, and hosts the 2nd leg on the 31st, at the Luxembourg Stadium.

At 26 years old, the midfielder is experiencing a good phase while playing for Benfica. A starter in 24 matches this season, the numbers accompanying him represent the best record ever in assists in his career and bring him closer to his personal goal record (six).

Besides Barreiro, another Benfica player was called up: Tomás Cruz. The 20-year-old attacking midfielder from the Eagles' secondary team already has 12 international caps. Signed in 2023/24 from Germany's Hannover, this season he has played 26 games for Benfica B in Liga 2 and one game representing the Club's under-23s - which is keeping an eye on the young forward.

If they win the playoff, the Luxembourg national team will join the League C4 group, along with Iceland, Bulgaria, and Estonia. In case of defeat, they will be relegated to League D1, where they will face Andorra and the winner of the duel between Gibraltar and Latvia.

This season, Leandro Barreiro — valued at 15 million euros — has found new life with the arrival of José Mourinho. In total, the Luxembourg international has played 43 official matches with Benfica's Sacred Mantle. In the 2,406 minutes he has been on the field, the midfielder has scored four goals and provided five assists.

Check out the full list of call-ups:

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