Bruno Lage lines up major surprise for Benfica v Qarabag | OneFootball

Despite Benfica’s home draw against Santa Clara, one-all, in a match for Liga Portugal, Bruno Lage intends to move forward with preparations for the reception of Qarabag, in the Eagles’ first match of the Champions League group stage. The Portuguese coach has already started preparing for the clash and may make some changes, namely by including Sudakov in the starting eleven.

In the last match, against Santa Clara, the Ukrainian international was brought on in the 73rd minute, replacing Andreas Schjelderup. The first impressions left by Sudakov excited the Benfica fans and, apparently, Bruno Lage also liked what he saw and is preparing to start the attacking midfielder in the starting eleven.

Although his debut in the Sacred Mantle was not as he wished, Sudakov made a point of leaving a message to the Clube da Luz fans on social media: "My first steps at home in Estádio da Luz. Incredible atmosphere, thank you for the warm welcome from Benfica fans".

Georgiy Sudakov - valued at 32 million euros - was officially announced as a Benfica signing on August 30. The creative midfielder arrived at Clube da Luz from Shakhtar Donetsk, for 27 million euros, plus 5 million in bonuses. The Ukrainian club also retained 25% of a future sale, according to the Eagles.

Benfica will host Qarabag next Tuesday, September 16, at 8:00 pm, at Estádio da Luz. The match is for the first round of the Champions League. In addition to the Azerbaijani team, Bruno Lage’s side will face Chelsea (away), Newcastle (away), Bayer Leverkusen (home), Ajax (away), Napoli (home), Juventus (away), and Real Madrid (home).

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