Rio Ave v Benfica: Probable Benfica XI for Liga Portugal restart | OneFootball

Anatoliy Trubin, Amar Dedic, Nicolás Otamendi, Tomás Araújo, Samuel Dahl, Enzo Barrenechea, Fredrik Aursnes, Gianluca Prestianni, Leandro Barreiro, Georgiy Sudakov, and Vangelis Pavlidis. This should be the starting 11 that José Mourinho will present in the Rio Ave – Benfica match.

Compared to the starting team that played at Estádio do Dragão in the Portuguese Cup match against Porto, the 62-year-old coach is forced to make some changes due to the injury suffered by Richard Ríos, which will keep him off the field for an extended period.

The Ukrainian goalkeeper will continue to be the choice between the posts, as he is the best solution within the squad. Regarding the defense, Mourinho is expected to bring back the captain, after Otamendi missed the clash with the dragons, following a suspension for receiving a red card in the League Cup.

It's in the midfield where the major headaches arise for the Special One. In light of Richard Ríos's enforced absence, the Portuguese coach has to find a solution and the number 8 jersey is one of the options. If this choice is made, Aursnes's repositioning opens the possibility for Prestianni to take the right wing of the Eagles' attack.

It is worth remembering that Benfica kicks off the second half of the Liga Portugal Betclic this Saturday, January 17, with a visit to Rio Ave, a match counting for the 18th round of the championship. In the first half, the team from Vila do Conde managed to secure a draw in their visit to the home of the Reds.

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