Hello everyone!
Been a reader of this forum for many many years, though not an active poster. I did post a few comments back in 2007 under a different username (which I've forgotten..) when we signed Ricardo Rocha from Benfica. What a success story he turned out to be.. That clearance against the **** still haunts my memory.
Anyways, due to my family background I have strong ties with Benfica which I've supported my whole life. As a life long Spurs supporter as well this is the fixture I've been dreaming about/dreading for quite some time. Either way I'll both win and lose this tie. I thought however I might shed some light on the current Benfica team as I assume some of you don't know the squad that well, or what Spurs are up against.
First of all, if anyone has the chance to go to Lisbon to see the return game you absolutely should. Lisbon is a great city, and still fairly cheap when it comes to overnight stays, food and drinks. The stadium is beautiful, great atmosphere and very easily accessible by metro. About 15-20 min ride from the city center.
On to the team it self. Many probably have noticed Benficas climb back into the European spotlight during the last 5 years, culminating in last years Europa League final which Chelsea nicked in the end. The team has produced som outstanding players which consequently have been sold on with huge profits, however forcing the team to reorganise every summer. Examples are Di Maria, Coentrao, Ramires, David Luiz, Matic and Javi Garcia.
The backbone of the team is the strong center half pairing of Luisao and Argentinian international Garay. Very physical, strong and also a threat at set pieces. Somewhat lacking in pace though, which Spurs might be able to exploit. Left back and right back are decent, but nothing extraordinary. If Lennon and Townsend, if he plays, should be able to cause some problems with their pace. The Benfica defence however is in an unbelievable form, conceeding just 1 goal in the last 16 games, coinciding with the promotion of the back up keeper Oblak to the first team. Amazing talent and shot stopper, still only 20 years old.
Matic, who left for Chelsea in january, has been the dominant midfield player the last couple of seasons in Benfica and the Portugues league. The void in the team has been filled by fellow Serbian international Fejsa, however he is not half the player Matic was. He is good at breaking up play though so watch out for som intense tackles on Dembele/Sandro/Eriksen pending on whoever plays. The engine in the middle is Enzo Perez, arguably Benficas best player this season. Box to box midfielder with outstanding work rate. On the left wing you have Nico Gaitan which is in the form of his life scoring some outragous goals lately. Pacy and full og tricks with a great lef foot. Goes down very easily though so might wind up Walker quite a bit I would emagine. On the right wing is a new Serbian wonderboy Marcovic. Only 19 and still quite raw, but probably the fastes player in the team. Roumor has it Chelsea already have a deal in place for him and he'll only stay in Benfica until the end of next season. If Jan is playing left back he'll be runned cirkles around I'm afraid. Fryers should thus be the obvious choice.
In the attack you have Lima and Rodrigo. Both very agile and always looking for the ball. Cardozo, which has been linked to spurs quite a few times, has been injured much of the season and will probably be on the bench.
In general the Benfica coach Jorge Jesus has previously employed a gung ho style of play, often leading to plenty of goals both ways. This season he's changed that somewhat and Benfica play much more calculated and on the counter attack. If Spurs turn up with a high back line I think the pace of the counter attacks will prove costly. Jesus has stated that the domestic league is top priority for Benfica, whilst the Europa League is all Spurs have left this season to be frank. So the motivation might be in favour of Spurs. Will be a great tie for sure!
