Rafa Silva focused on Benfica – Real Madrid with one goal in mind | OneFootball

Rafa Silva once again interferes with José Mourinho's plans. A starter in the last two matches for Benfica, the number 27 is expected to repeat the feat against Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League playoff, sending Georgiy Sudakov to the bench.

According to the newspaper Record, the presence of the winter signing is almost certainly the only change José Mourinho will make to the Eagles' lineup compared to the starting team that played on January 28, in the historic 4-2 victory against the Merengues.

This marks a return to the prestigious competition two years after his last appearance. At that time, on December 12, 2023, the number 27 was chosen by Roger Schmidt against Salzburg, where he scored one of the goals in the 3-1 victory against the Austrian team.

On the other hand, if he scores against Real Madrid, Rafa Silva - who has been a luxury choice for Mourinho - will become Benfica's top scorer in the 21st century, surpassing names like Simão Sabrosa and Pizzi. The former Eagles captains scored 94 goals with the Sacred Mantle.

This season, playing for Benfica, Rafa Silva - valued at 5 million euros - has participated in a total of four matches since returning to Luz, all in the Liga Portugal Betclic. In the 212 minutes he has been on the field, the number 27 has shown promising signs to José Mourinho.

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