Benfica hosts Vitória de Guimarães at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon for the eighth round of the Liga Betclic, marking the domestic championship’s return following the international break.
Confirmed Starting Lineups at Estádio da Luz
Benfica manager Marco Silva has made three changes to his starting side from the club’s last outing before the break, according to reports from SAPO. In central defense, Circati earns his first Liga Betclic start, stepping in for the suspended Lenglet. No ataque, Schjelderup surge à esquerda e Sudakov volta ao banco.
The Benfica starting XI features Samuel Soares in goal, protected by a back four of Alexander Bah, Tomás Araújo, Circati, and Samuel Dahl, while João Palhinha and Leandro Barreiro anchor the midfield, and Rafa, Prestianni, and Schjelderup join Pavlidis in the attacking sector. Available on the bench for the hosts are Trubin, Gabriel Índio, El Karouani, José Neto, Tiago Freitas, Manu Silva, Aursnes, Sudakov, Echeverri, Lukebakio, Jhon Durán, and Anísio Cabral, as detailed by Infocul.
Vitória de Guimarães manager Tiago Margarido counters with Oliwier Zych in goal behind a defensive line composed of Tony Strata, Toni Borevkovic, Thiago Balieiro, and João Mendes. Lohann Doucet and Gonçalo Nogueira patrol the central midfield, with Oumar Camara, Samu, and Miguel Nogueira supporting central striker Arnel Jakupovic. Vitória’s substitutes bench comprises Lucas Furtado, Miguel Maga, Oscar Rivas, Ahmed Sidibe, Francisco Dias, Beni Mukendi, Matija Mitrovic, Alanzinho, Telmo Arcanjo, Victor Andersson, Vignon Ouotro, and Santiago Verdi.
Squad Conditions and Managerial Ambitions
Benfica enters the fixture dealing with several roster constraints. As noted in match previews, Lenglet is serving a suspension, while Banjaqui, Kaminski, and Barrenechea remain sidelined with physical complaints. Despite these absences, Vitória boss Margarido stated that he views no true advantage in the opposition’s situation, highlighting the depth and tactical organization of Marco Silva’s squad. Tiago Margarido also noted that the match against FC Porto featured special characteristics, as Benfica played with a man down and the contest was balanced until that point, with the opponents now looking to respond to a negative result.
Olhamos para a estatística, que é desfavorável, como uma oportunidade e um desafio,
Margarido told Record ahead of kickoff. O Vitória não vence na Luz há 17 anos. É uma oportunidade de podermos fazer história.
The Vitória coach added that his squad used the international window to correct finishing issues through training matches against lower defensive blocks and remains confident of securing a positive result in Lisbon, adding: Se há coisa que aprendi desde o primeiro dia em que entrei nesta casa é que, quando entramos em todos os jogos, é para ganhar e só isso é que importa.
First Half Action and Early Breakthrough
The match opened with sustained pressure from the home side.
Vitória attempted to respond through set-pieces and late first-half headers from Jakupovic and Camara, but Samuel Soares collected cleanly to maintain Benfica’s lead heading into the interval.
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