Benfica trio leave Mourinho uneasy ahead of Sporting clash | OneFootball

The derby against Sporting is still a month away, but José Mourinho is already doing the math. Faced with such an important match, the Special One knows he has three Benfica players at risk of missing the clash due to disciplinary issues. The players in question are Nicolás Otamendi, Richard Ríos, and Amar Dedic.

According to the newspaper Record, in this Saturday's edition, November 1st, the three athletes already have four yellow cards each in the current league season and, if they receive a fifth, they will have to serve a one-match suspension. Until the derby, the Eagles still have three matches to play (Guimarães, Casa Pia, and Nacional).

José Mourinho is fully aware of the risks of using these players, but at the same time, he knows they are important for the team's dynamics. Thus, for the Argentine and the Colombian, the test begins tonight in Guimarães, where they will try to keep a clean slate. However, there is always the possibility of getting a yellow card today or in the next match, in order to serve the suspension before the clash with the Alvalade side.

In the case of the Bosnian full-back, who is absent from tonight’s match—he is expected to return in the Champions League match—he should only return to league games against Casa Pia and, in his case, he could force a suspension against Nacional, in the match before the derby, or he will have to keep his disciplinary record clean right up to the game against Sporting.

José Mourinho will have to manage this challenge as best as possible. Nicolás Otamendi—currently valued at 1 million euros—recently reached 250 appearances for the Eagles. In the 1,620 minutes he has spent on the pitch, he has scored two goals in 18 official matches.

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