Draw with Santa Clara sparks a shake-up at Benfica | OneFootball

Benfica will face Santa Clara again next Friday, five months after the Azorean team stunned Luz by securing a draw (1-1) in stoppage time in what was the last league game with Bruno Lage on the Eagles' bench, replaced by José Mourinho. Just like now, the clash with the islanders took place before a European commitment, with Real Madrid replacing Qarabag, a team of sad memory for the Reds.

In September, Bruno Lage opted for a 4-4-2 formation, with Franjo Ivanovic partnering with Vangelis Pavlidis up front. The Croatian has since lost prominence, and hasn't been a starter since December 17th (in the 2-0 victory against Farense) and saw Anísio Cabral move ahead of him in the hierarchy. Furthermore, Mourinho has been favoring a 4-2-3-1 formation.

In defense, Amar Dedic was recovering from a right knee sprain sustained with the national team, and Tomás Araújo took his place on the right side of the defense. Now, the Bosnian international is likely to miss the game against Santa Clara due to a muscle overload that requires careful management, with Daniel Banjaqui being the strongest candidate for the starting eleven.

In midfield, only Andreas Schjelderup is expected to maintain the position he held in the first-round match, positioned on the left flank. The central duo was formed by Enzo Barrenechea and Richard Ríos, but currently, Aursnes and Leandro Barreiro have been occupying those areas. The Norwegian's move opened a spot on the right, which has recently been filled by Prestianni, who is expected to keep his place next Friday. In the number 10 position, against Alverca, the choice fell on Rafa Silva, with Georgiy Sudakov being another option to consider in the starting lineup.

The Eagles will attempt to avenge the first-round result against the team now managed by Petit, this Friday, the 13th. The match, part of the 22nd round of Liga Portugal Betclic, will be played at 18:30, at the Estádio de São Miguel, in the Azores.

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