Richard Ríos set for long Benfica absence, could miss 5 games

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·15 Januari 2026

Richard Ríos set for long Benfica absence, could miss 5 games

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

Richard Ríos’ injury could be serious

During the television broadcast, Carlos Carvalhal, who was commentating on the match for Sport TV, spoke about the possibility that Richard Ríos suffered a “dislocation with avulsion of the clavicle.” In other words, what the coach meant is that the midfielder may have suffered a high-grade acromioclavicular dislocation or a clavicle fracture with ligament injury.

Video OneFootball

If this is indeed Richard Ríos’ injury, there are three possible scenarios:

Acromioclavicular Dislocation Grade III or higher – Recovery time of two to three months
Clavicle Fracture – Recovery time of six to eight weeks
Dislocation Grade I or II – Recovery time of two to four weeks

So, even in the most positive scenario (Grade I or II Dislocation), Richard Ríos will still 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 Benfica midfielder’s recovery

After the match, José Mourinho was asked about the topic and showed confidence: “It’s a significant injury, but a player with his mentality faces it differently than others. There are players who think more about the future; I think this is the kind of player who won’t think about the future. It doesn’t mean he’ll play against Rio Ave, but I believe he’ll still help us this season.”

This season, wearing Benfica’s shirt, 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 provided two assists.

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