Richard Ríos faces long Benfica lay-off, best case: misses 5 games | OneFootball

The elimination of Benfica from the Portuguese Cup, after the defeat against Porto, might not have been the only bad news for the Eagles. Richard Ríos left the classic match injured, and the scenarios on the table are not encouraging, with the midfielder potentially missing crucial matches in the Liga Portugal Betclic and the Champions League.

Richard Ríos's injury could be serious

During the television broadcast, Carlos Carvalhal, who was commenting on the match on Sport TV, mentioned the possibility of Richard Ríos having suffered a “dislocation with avulsion of the clavicle.” In other words, the coach meant that the midfielder might have a high-grade acromioclavicular dislocation or a clavicle fracture with ligament injury.

If this is Richard Ríos's injury, there are three scenarios on the table:

Even in the most positive scenario (Grade I or II Dislocation), Richard Ríos will always miss the matches against Rio Ave (January 17, 8:30 PM), Juventus (January 21, 8:00 PM), Estrela da Amadora (January 25, 6:00 PM), Real Madrid (January 28, 8:00 PM), and Tondela (February 1).

Mourinho confident in the recovery of Benfica's midfielder

In the aftermath of the match, José Mourinho was questioned about the issue and showed confidence: “It’s a significant injury that a player with his mentality faces differently than another player might. Some players think more about the future, but I believe this is the type of player who won’t think about the future. It doesn’t mean he’ll play against Rio Ave, but I think he will still help us this season.”

This season, wearing Benfica's jersey, Richard Ríos - valued at 22 million euros - has played 32 matches: 16 in Liga Portugal Betclic, 10 in the Champions League, three in the Portuguese Cup, two in the League Cup, and one in the Super Cup. In the 2,622 minutes he played, the midfielder scored three goals and made two assists.

Check out the moment when Richard Ríos is stretchered off in the Porto - Benfica match:

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