Europa league, take 2
Thursday saw the round 32 Europa league match up between Benfica and Hertha Berlin at the Estadio da Luz. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, with a goal from Angel Di Maria for Benfica and an own goal from Javi Garcia, giving Hertha a boost going into the second leg. Both sides were equal, with the possession divided 50-50 and nearly identical shots on goal. Both were unlucky not to have scored more and this shows that the next leg will be exciting to see who tips the balance. While Hertha may have that lucrative away goal, Benfica can still tip the balance their way if they go into the game dominating and putting pressure right from the start. Not to mention having Fabio Coentrao back into the squad. Fabio has been one of the key players this season and not having him for the last game really showed. We do not rely on just him of course, but it is safe to say I don’t think Benfica would ever want to do without him.
Guarda-redes: Quim e Júlio César.
Defesas: Maxi Pereira, Sidnei, Luisão, David Luiz e César Peixoto.
Médios: Javi Garcia, Carlos Martins, Ruben Amorim, Di María, Pablo Aimar e Fábio Coentrão e Felipe Menezes.
Avançados: Saviola, Cardozo, Éder Luís, Alan Kardec e Nuno Gomes.
The key players to watch of course, are Angel Di Maria, Javier Saviola, and Oscar Cardozo. Hopefully we can see some subs if we have taken the game into our control and can rest the starters for the weekend game.
In other news, there have been countless rumors already starting for the transfer season. On the radar are Oscar Cardozo, David Luiz, and Angel Di Maria. For the latter, Benfica have claimed they will not let him go for less than the 36 million euro buyout clause. It is strange to see all these rumors appearing now when there isn’t much anyone can do in terms of actually buying a player. It’ll be interesting to see who goes to the World Cup and how they perform and then where the interest still is.
Also, Eusebio is being honored by UEFA this week. This is obviously great news as any Benfica fan will know how great of a player he is. Congratulations on the award Eusebio.
