Bruno Lage faces major challenge as Benfica take on Santa Clara | OneFootball

After a day off, Benfica returned to training. However, it was an atypical return, considering that 18 of the players who have been part of Bruno Lage's squad at the start of this season were absent, after being called up to join their respective national teams. In sight are the first qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup.

The international break left Bruno Lage with only seven of the usual footballers available. Among them are Samuel Soares, Tomás Araújo, Enzo Barrenechea, Diogo Prioste, Gianluca Prestianni, Henrique Araújo and, finally, Fredrik Aursnes, who renounced the Norwegian national team in March 2024. The reduced number of players with whom Bruno Lage usually works thus complicates the coach's preparation for the eagles' match against Santa Clara in the Portugal League, scheduled for September 12.

Meanwhile, Bruma, Nuno Félix, Manu Silva, Alexander Bah and the new reinforcement Dodi Lukebakio remained in Portuguese soil and were not called up for their respective national teams as they are still recovering from injuries. With the exception of Benfica's most recent acquisition, the other athletes are recovering from long-term injuries.

Thus, there are nearly 20 players absent from Seixal, after being called to represent their countries in the qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup. António Silva was the only Portuguese player in the red squad to join the call-up by Roberto Martínez. Ahead, the National Team faces Armenia and Hungary, away from home, on September 6 and 9 respectively.

Gonçalo Oliveira and João Veloso are also absent for the international break, after being called up by Luís Freire for the commitments of the Portuguese U21 team, which will face Azerbaijan and Scotland, respectively. João Rego and Leandro Santos were included in the U20 call-up.

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