benfica

Benfica are set to face OGC Nice in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, at the Allianz Riviera. The team finalized their preparations with a training session at Benfica Campus and received a warm send-off from fans in Beja before traveling to France. Head coach Bruno Lage expressed optimism about the squad’s readiness, emphasizing the team’s determination to secure Champions League football this season^[1]^[5].

Benfica’s preseason was notably short due to participation in the Club World Cup, limiting them to one friendly (against Fenerbahce) and the Portuguese Super Cup, but Lage is confident in his squad’s ability to perform. For the upcoming match, Benfica will be without defender Tomás Araujo and attacker Kerem Akturkoglu, though as many as four of the club’s new summer signings—including Amar Dedic—could make the starting lineup^[3].

Midfielder Schjelderup praised the integration of the summer recruits, noting that their quality has already made a significant impact in the dressing room. He also reflected on the previous season, highlighting the League Cup triumph as a high point, but lamenting the loss in the Portuguese Cup final against Sporting. Schjelderup committed to improving his defensive work and endurance for the new campaign^[5].

On the transfer front, Benfica have shown interest in signing Real Madrid midfielder Brahim Diaz as an alternative after failing to bring former player Joao Felix back to Lisbon. However, multiple reports suggest that Diaz is not planning to leave Real Madrid, with a new five-year contract underway, and Real Madrid’s management keen to keep him as a valuable squad member^[2]^[6]. Previous efforts to re-sign Joao Felix also fell through, with the Portuguese international instead moving to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr after his loan at AC Milan and an unproductive stint at Chelsea^[2]^[4].

Off the pitch, Benfica recently celebrated their eighth Super Cup win in October 2025 after defeating Sporting, and have also partnered with the first national Padel Fair^[1].

References

Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply