Benfica bet on Nicolás Otamendi’s experience and Angel Di María; Chelsea, to his young Talent Enzo Fernández. Together they were world champions with Argentina, but this Saturday they must be eliminated to advance to the quarterfinals at the Club World Cup.
Champions with Argentina and also with Benfica, Otamendi and Di María, with 37 years each, would be equivalent in the Star Wars universe to Jedi teachers, wise and powerful, often mentors of apprentices, or Padawans.
And if there is a talented Padawan on the way to becoming Jedi, it is Enzo Fernández, the 24 -year -old midfielder who also raised the World Cup in Catar 2022 along with the greats.
“Gardelito,” as the former River Plate tells, also arrives with the possibility of becoming a executioner of the Portuguese team, where he played 29 games before putting on the Chelsea shirt.
“I will always want more, I always want to do better. If I can do it, I will be helping the team. This is something that I always have in mind,” said who was considered the best young player of the Catar 2022 World Cup.
When this Saturday they go to the Gramado of the Bank of America Stadium of Charlotte, North Carolina, at 20h00 GMT, the Italian coach Enzo Maresca has him for the victory. Fernández, however, is accompanied by other youth talents that stand out in the blues.
His new 22 -year -old centrodlantero, Liam Delap, broke with a goal that “curse” of shirt 9 that Radamel Falcao García, Álvaro Morata, Gonzalo Higuaín and Romelu Lukaku used before.
He also has among his newcomers to the 19 -year -old British attacker Tyrique George.
-The shortcomings-
On his way to get his pass to the eighths, Chelsea fell to Flamengo – who classified in advance – and Benfica tied with Boca Juniors, eliminated and poor performance in the tournament.
The Blues expose their defensive fissures when they collide with teams that know how to attack, a characteristic of the 16 paintings that have survived the championship.
As for the Portuguese, although they had a notable triumph against Bayern Munich, in the duel against Boca they showed the seams by granting too many advantages, resigning the possession of the ball and ending with ten men.
“We know the quality of the English, very strong, athletic teams, but we will live up to the challenge. We will try to win and pass the tie. We will defend our ambitions until the last minute,” said the central defender of Los Plus, Antonio Silva.
-The captain is left-
Benfica arrives at this duel with the news of the renewal of its central defender and Captain, Nicolás Otamendi, until 2026.
The Argentine Marshal also has his own Padawan in the team: also defender Antonio Silva, 21, with whom he celebrated the pass to eighth after defeating Bayern.
“What he told me is among us, but they could notice that he is happy for me, for the team and for the result. I felt that it was our time, because we contributed to the result,” he said.
-For María-
The eagles have flown with the wings of Ángel Di María until eighth of the end, a path in which he has scored three goals and has been key assembling the game and attending the gunners.
The noodle is one of the engines of the team, and its announced game at the end of this tournament for Rosario Central, the Argentine club that saw it born, moves the hearts of its teammates. They hope to give him a glorious farewell.
“He is a very special player, he scored an era in football, he has been decisive for his country and for clubs where he happened. We can only enjoy what he can still deliver,” said Antonio Silva.
The attacker – also Argentine – Gianlucca Prestianni, says that “the best possible farewell would be to win the Club World Cup”, and that they will do “everything possible to do it.”
Possible alignments:
Benfica: anatoliy trubin – fredrik aursnes, antonio silva, nicolás otamendi, samuel dahl – orkun kökçu, florentino luís, leandro barreiriro, leandro barreiriro, ángro barreiro, ángro barreiri Pavlidis DT: Bruno Lage.
Chelsea: Robert sánchez; Malo Gusto, Trevoh Chalobah, Levi Colwill, Marc CucureLla – Reece James, Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernández – Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer, Liam Delap. DT: Enzo Maresca
MAV/AG
