Tomás Araújo races for Casa Pia, but with Sporting-Benfica in mind | OneFootball

Just over 24 hours before the match against Casa Pia, José Mourinho may already have a strategy in place for Tomás Araújo. As things stand, the Benfica defender is one booking away from suspension, having already picked up four yellow cards. And, by all indications, the Portuguese coach could have him force a fifth booking with the clash against Sporting already in mind.

This is the scenario put forward by Record, which says it could happen next Monday, April 6, in the match between Casa Pia and Benfica. If that happens, Tomás Araújo would clear his disciplinary record before the derby at Alvalade, a hugely important match for José Mourinho’s side in this final stretch of the league campaign.

To support this possibility, Record looked back to November, specifically to the match between Benfica and Vitória de Guimarães at the D. Afonso Henriques Stadium. At the time, Nicolás Otamendi forced a fifth yellow card, which ruled him out of the following game, coincidentally against Casa Pia, but allowed the Argentine to be available for the derby held at the Estádio da Luz.

However, as the same source points out, it is still unclear which players will make up Benfica’s central defensive pairing against Casa Pia. Even so, it is almost certain that the number 44 shirt will start, with the only question being whether António Silva or Nicolás Otamendi returns to the lineup, an issue Mourinho must resolve in the coming hours.

This season for Benfica, Tomás Araújo — valued at €28 million — has made a total of 36 official appearances: 20 in the Liga Portugal Betclic, nine in the Champions League, four in the Portuguese Cup, two in the League Cup, and one in the Liga Portugal Meu Super. In the 2,538 minutes he has been on the pitch, the defender has recorded one goal and one assist.

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