Benfica - Porto "Classico" Preview

As a Benfica fan, you have to like your chances going into Saturday's Classic. Benfica has put together a good domestic streak, winning their last 4 games, cutting Porto's lead from 8 to 4 points in the process. The team is at full strength and the starting 11 seem to be the best Camacho can field at the moment. Benfica is coming off, arguably, their best performance of the season, having dominated the reigning European champs for the most part of wednesday's match, in which they were unlucky not to come away with a victory, while Porto tries to show that the humiliating defeat at Anfield Road has not affected them. Both teams come into this game being the only undefeated teams this season in the Bwin. At the moment Benfica has the best attack, and Porto has the best defense of the Bwin. It's all shaping up to be a memorable game, the result will not be decisive, as there's still a lot of games to be played, but, a win for Benfica will clearly send a message and will be the corollary of Benfica's ascension under Camacho. I still don't think the team has hit full stride but they are very close to it. As a write this, there's less than 10,000 tickets for sale in what will surely be a sold out "Inferno"at Estadio da Luz the crowd will be a very important factor.

Camacho has called the following players:
Keepers: Butt and Quim
Defenders: Luisão, Léo, Luís Filipe, Edcarlos, Nelson, David Luiz;
Midfielders: Katsouranis, Maxi pereira, Rui Costa, Di Maria, Petit, Cristián Rodriguez, Binya and Nuno Assis;
Forwards: Nuno gomes, Adu and Cardozo

I don't think we will see anything different from the starting 11 we saw mid-week.
Quim in goal, Luis Felipe, Luisao, David Luiz and Leo in defense. Katsouranis and Petit in front of the defense. Maxi, Rui Costa and Rodriguez supporting Nuno Gomes.

Keys to the Game:

Good Start - it's important that Benfica gets a good start, sorting out markings early and establishing control of the midfield, Benfica can not afford to give up a goal early, maximum concentration is needed from the start.

Dead Ball Situations - Benfica needs to take full advantage of every dead ball situation, both Luisao and David Luiz are very good in the air, and Porto has shown some fragilities in these type of plays.

Shutting down Quaresma and Lisandro - Lisandro is the top goal scorer in the Bwin and is currently going through a very good period of form, if David Luiz plays him as well as he played Kaka, we will have nothing to worry about. As far as Quaresma, Leo will need to mark him tight, as he's done in previous match ups. Leo will surely be limited on his runs forward, but he has to think defense first. I can see Quaresma being on the left a lot, to take advantage of the weaker Luis Felipe.

I very much doubt that Camacho will make a change to defend Quaresma, but if he does he might back up Maxi and put Assis in the middle but it's unlikely. I'd like to see Adu come in with more time left in the game. All and all it shoud be a very good game, look for a lot of even match ups and a big part of the game being played in the midfield, so controlling the midfield is very important for Benfica. I'm hopping to see a very good game, well refereed and with no ejections, with Benfica coming out on top off course.
2-1 Benfica

#foto - Isabel Cutileiro

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What Are We Waiting On?

There's something that's been bugging me as of late, and that is Leo's contract renewal. For some reason Benfica has been stalling to renew Leo's contract. Apparently the dispute is that Leo wants a 3 year deal and Benfica is only willing to sign him for 2. I don't think this should even be an issue. Benfica hasn't had a left back like Leo in ages. The left back position always seemed to be one of the weakest positions on the squad, but Benfica hit the jackpot when they signed Leo. He is a tremendous player, with modern left back characteristics. Leo is one of Benfica's most regular players and despite his age, 32, he hasn't missed a step ever since Benfica signed him. Let's look at his numbers for the past 2 seasons,
05/06- 36 games, 3164 minutes played
06/07 - 42 games, 3780 minutes played
He is currently the Benfica player that has played the most minutes in the Bwin with 967, and has played every minute of the Champions League. He has been an undisputed starter ever since he grabbed the spot. He embodies what every fan expects from a Benfica player- fighting spirit, never give up attitude and a leave everything on the field type of player. In the beggining of the season, Leo had personal issues with the illness of his mother, yet, he remained a professional and continued to be committed to the club.
What is Benfica waiting for to sign this player? Leo brings so much to the squad, with his experience, personality and his leadership. Even if he is 35 by the time he starts his 3rd year, wouldn't it be worth having this player in the locker room mentoring the young players Benfica currently has on their squad? It seems like a no brainer to me. To add insult to injury there were media reports that surfaced this week that Benfica might be interested in Hertha's left back, Gilberto who is 31 !!!
Benfica needs to do the right thing and sign this player as quickly as possible!

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Benfica 1 - Milan 1 - Goodbye Champions League

Benfica said goodbye to the Champions League tonight. A tie with Milan and a Celtic win over Shakthar ended up sealing Benfica's Champions League fate. There are very few negative things that can be said about the game or the team's performance, the worst part was really Celtic's result tonight, which ended up being the deathblow to a Benfica who had left themselves in a vulnerable position, after poor results from previous matchdays.

Camacho went with his usual 4-5-1 or 4-2-3-1, however you want to see it, and he started:
Quim in goal,
Luis Felipe,Luisao,David Luiz and Leo in defense. Katsouranis and Petit in front of the defense, while Maxi, Rui Costa and Rodriguez served as support for the lone striker, Nuno Gomes.
I had anticipated this line up with the exception of Maxi in midfield. I though that Camacho would opt for Assis, or a more offensive minded player in detriment of Maxi, who would be in the back. He could have very well have gone with Assis, but after seeing Maxi's performance as well as Luis Felipe's in the game, Camacho hit the nail on the head with his choice. Maxi played his best game with a Benfica shirt since arriving in Lisbon while Luis Felipe has been steadily progressing and had a very good performance also. On to the game,
Benfica started the game showing some signs of nervousness and hesitation, almost waiting to see how Milan would set up on the field, in the first 10 minutes Benfica seemed confused and taking too long to sort out their markings, Gillardino could have very well gotten his name on the score sheet 2 minutes in , showing up unmarked on the back post. Seedorf also threatened the Benfica goal 2 minutes later. Milan ended up going 1 up at the 14 minute mark after a good combination between the Milan midfield. Pirlo hit one of his trademark long range line drives that gave Quim no chance. The goal punished Benfica's disorganization up until this point, with Pirlo being able to get a crack at the Benfica goal unopposed. After the Milan goal, Benfica seemed to calm down and raise their level of concentration which up until this point was almost non existent. Benfica started playing their game and created a couple of chances, one of them with Rodriguez just letting himself get anticipated by Nesta as he was about to pull the trigger, granted he was unbalanced. Benfica's tying goal came 5 minutes later, after a good run by Maxi and a superb move to take Gattuso out of his path, Maxi unleashed a rocket, that would hit the upright and make its way around the net and come out on the opposite side. Beautiful goal! It was a clear sign of Benfica's ascension and game domination. Domination that yielded another 2 scoring chances, the first one from a combination between Leo, Rui Costa and Rodriguez, with Rodriguez mis-hitting the ball. The second one, another insistence play started by Leo which ended up at the feet of Maxi via an incredible dummy from Rui Costa and a deadly pass from Nuno Gomes. I though that Nuno Gomes could have gone to goal with that ball, but he decided to pass it to Maxi who saw his shot blocked by Pirlo. Benfica could have very well been up 2-1 at the half way point if it wasn't for the missed chances, but Benfica left for half time leaving everyone in the stadium with the impression they could do a lot more. Ancelotti made one change at half time, putting the veteran, Maldini, on the left side of the defense hoping to shutdown the Maxispressway, but Benfica started the second half in the same manner as they ended the first, controlling, dominating and creating. Milan seemed to be happy with the result and put all of their chips on the counter game which almost paid off towards the end of the game. Camacho made a double substitution to refresh, Cardozo came in for Nuno Gomes and Di Maria, came in for Luis Felipe, while Maxi dropped to right back. Di Maria still had a good shot straight at Dida, as but didn't do much else, Cardozo almost had the winning goal, but he couldn't reach a ball that was played slightly behind him. Camacho used his last substitution to bring in Adu in the 86th minute, not too much time for Adu to work his magic, i even thought he could have came on before Di Maria, as he seems to be enjoying of a better period of confidence then the Argentinian youngster. Game ended 1-1, Benfica had 21 shots against 10 from Milan, 8 of them on goal against Milan's 3. Truth is, Benfica played very well, but needs to put away the chances, that is the big difference between the 16 teams that will be into the next round, efficiency. Benfica thought that everything was still open with Celtic and Shakhtar deadlocked into extra time, but ended up losing all hope as Celtic went up right before the final whistle.

Like i said, very few negative things to point out, lack of efficiency being one of them and pehaps, giving more time to Adu. Other than that, i really liked Benfica's performance, arguably their best of the season. It was the first time the team was at full strength, and even though Petit is not 100% match fit yet, the difference is noticeable. The team has been on a clear ascension and in my opinion has not yet full stride. A performance like tonight's will surely gives 3 points on Saturday.
We are now left to fight for a spot in the Uefa Cup, if we finish 3rd in the group. For that we will have to travel to the Ukraine and beat Shakthar, after tonight's performance i think that it's very possible.


highlights

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Benfica - Milan CL Matchday 5

Benfica plays their future in the Champions League on Wednesday. A win would keep Benfica in the running, while a loss or a tie would definetely see them out of the competition. On the other hand, Milan needs at least a tie to remain at the top of the group, but they will undoubtedly want to win and secure a spot in the second round before matchday 6. A sellout crowd is expected at Estadio da Luz and Benfica hope that they can feed off the crowd to obtain a positive result, after all, it's not only Celtic Park or San Siro that have their unique atmospheres, Estadio da Luz aka "The Luz Inferno", can also be quite intimidating.

Camacho called the following players:

Keepers: Quim and Butt.
Defenders: Luisão, Léo, Luís Filipe, David Luiz, Nélson and Edcarlos.
Midfielders: Katsouranis, Petit, Rui Costa, Maxi Pereira, Cristian Rodriguez, Nuno Assis and Romeu Ribeiro.
Forwards: Nuno Gomes, Cardozo, Adu and Di Maria.

It's the first time we see the squad at full strenght this season. What a better time than right now, a decisive game against Milan followed by the home clash against Porto.

Maxi or Assis, 4-4-2 or 4-5-1 ?

These are the 2 main doubts on how Camacho will set up the team. Maxi's inclusion at right back solidifies the back line. Maxi comes off a good performance against Brazil where he closed down Ronaldinho, Camacho will take advantage of that. Here's my projected Line up:
Quim will be in goal. In defense we will most likely see Leo, David Luiz, Luisao and Maxi as they are the strongest back 4 in the squad. In the midfield, both Petit and Katsouranis will play in front of the defense, Rui Costa will be in charge of the midfield. Rodriguez will be back on the left wing while on the right wing we might see Assis. Assis seems to have recuperated from the knock he picked up on Saturday and he offers a certain dynamic to the midfield, as he often drifts to the middle to combine with Rui Costa. The other 2 alternatives for the right can be Di Maria or Adu. The Argentinian played well against Academica but on the left. Adu played 30 mins on the right side and did very well. I don't think we will see Maxi in the midfield, because with Petit back, Benfica will not need another defensive minded player on the right. Up front it'll be Nuno Gomes. I think Camacho will start with one forward up front, as he needs numbers in the midfield to control the middle of the park. Nuno Gomes offers more mobility than Cardozo and brings more experience to the team.
As you read this you're probably thinking - It's a must win game for Benfica why not play with 2 forwards? A 4-4-2 would mean having to sacrifice a man in the middle, a defensive midfielder for sure. Taking into consideration Milan's midfield - Gattuso, Kaka, Ambrosini, Seedorf, Pirlo; numbers in the middle is the best option to control and defend against Milan.

Keys to the game

Strong Start - Benfica has been starting every game well, this is something that Camacho has told the team to do, to come out strong and hard. Milan will be waiting for Benfica to come at them as they know Benfica will need to have the game initiative. In Milan Benfica suffered a goal early and had an uphill battle the rest of the game.

Benfica's Midfield - A win will very much depend on how well Benfica's midfield plays. Defensively they will need to stop Kaka and company. Offensively, they must find ways to penetrate Milan's defense and help Nuno Gomes as much as possible.

Crowd Support - Benfica needs to keep the crowd into the game by displaying a good flow of game, complete with goal scoring opportunities; If Benfica is playing well the crowd will be behind the team. Crowd support is essential as they will often provide the push the team needs to put them over the top.

It is not an impossible task to beat Milan, Benfica shouldn't be thinking about nothing else other than a win and shouldn't be intimidated by Milan's talent.

Read my "Down but not Out" Post - where i explore the various possibilities for Benfica

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Academica 1 - Benfica 3

Benfica got a very important and precious win this Saturday, a win that on paper seemed like a sure thing, but there are no sure things in football. Camacho could not count on Rodriguez and Maxi, both players played for their national team mid-week and were not in their best conditions to play. Rodriguez suffered from an intestinal disposition and Camacho opted to not call the 2 Uruguayan internationals, who usually start, perhaps in anticipation for Wednesday's match against Milan. Camacho also tried to save Cardozo, as he was coming from an injury and is badly needed for Wednesday's match.
So, with these two factors in mind Camacho fielded the following 11:
Quim in goal, Luis Felipe, Luisao, David Luiz and Leo in defense. David Luiz made his return to the line up, and what a return it was, clearly the best performer of the back 4, in my opinion. The midfield was composed of 2 defensive mids in Binya and Katsouranis to balance out the 3 offensive minded midfielders - Assis, Di Maria and Rui Costa. Nuno Gomes was the lone forward playing in a position where he could combine with the 3 attacking mids.


A Strong Start that hit a wall at the 10 minute mark

Benfica started well, touching the ball quickly and taking control of the game, but it was short lived, as Assis had to come out at the 10 minute mark. Assis suffered a hit on his shin after a hard challenge from an Academica player and had to come off. With Assis' injury, Camacho decided to put Cardozo in the game, perhaps feeling Benfica's dominance and attacking flow, Cardozo's entrance would hopefully create more chances and Benfica could put the game away quickly and rest players for Wednesday, this was probably what went through his mind. There's logic to that thought, however, taking Rui Costa out of the middle and making him play on the right is losing control of the midfield from an offensive stand point. Rui Costa plugged the hole on the right, but the move changed the complexion of Benfica's game, as Benfica lost their creative force and their playmaker in the midfield. I wonder why it took Camacho 50mins to realize this? With the loss of Rui Costa in the middle Academica stepped up and took initiative of the game, taking advantage of the lack of transition game by Benfica. Academica's rise payed off at the 24 minute mark, when Lito took advantage of a poor Benfica clearance, following a freekick, to beat Quim. Benfica didn't take long to respond and 10 minutes later Rui Costa fired a well placed freekick past the Academica keeper, following a foul on Di Maria at the edge of the box. Di Maria, who was at the time the player that created the most danger for Benfica, with Rui Costa missing from the middle, Benfica depended on Di Maria's quickness to create attacking opportunitities (the left footed blast that almost took down the crossbar). Half time came and Benfica went into the locker room with the game tied but needing to make serious adjustments if they wanted to win the game. Second half started and there wasn't much changed from the Benfica of the first half, so at the hour mark, Camacho substituted Petit for Katsouranis, in an effort to give more "fight" to the midfield in hopes Benfica could regain control of the midfield. At the 63 min mark, Camacho brought in Adu for Nuno Gomes and returned Rui Costa to his familiar playmaking role. It wasn't long before the change could be noticed and Benfica took control of the game and pushed Academica back into their own half, with Rui Costa at the helm Academica put men behind the ball in hopes they could come away with a valuable point, it wasn't to be. Benfica's persistence and fighting spirit ended up paying off on the 86th minute, when following a corner, the Academica keeper mis-timed his challenge on a high cross and the ball ended up at Luisao's feet, with his back turned to goal, the "Red Giant" back heeled the ball past the recovering keeper. It was a just prize to Benfica's rise in play and persistence. Freddy Adu would put the icing on the cake 7 minutes later with a low hard shot that was partially saved by the keeper and hit the post and back spun into the net.

So, without starters Maxi and Rodriguez, a forced substitution 10 minutes in, that forced Camacho to alter his game plan, then going 1-0, you can say that this was a precious victory.
This victory allows Benfica to head into Wednesday's crucial game against Milan with a high team morale and high hopes of obtaining a good result. The win also puts pressure on Porto, who will face Setubal this Sunday, in a game that will pit two teams who have not yet lost domestically.

Loose ones:
Good performance by Di Maria rising up to the opportunity, he is clearly more effective on the left, although he did periodically disappear. Best performance by Luis Felipe i've seen all year, clearly an improvement. It was nice to see David Luiz back, he is our starter, there are no doubts about it. Also good to see Petit back, i'm hoping he hits game shape soon, we need him. I still can't understand why Freddy isn't given more of a starting role, Benfica would have gained much more if he had come in for Assis.

Looking out, Sporting tied Leixoes and now trail Benfica by 6 points.
Game highlights


Leave your comments below.

Foto - Isabel Cutileiro

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Academica - Benfica Preview

Benfica travels to Coimbra this Saturday to face Academica. Academica is currently 13th in the Bwin with 8 points, with their 8 points coming from one win and 5 ties. As far as history goes, Academica has not beaten Benfica in 34 years. Academica will be looking to get a good result in order to keep them from the bottom of the table.

For Saturday's game Camacho has called the following players:

Keepers: Quim and Butt;
Defenders: Luisão, Léo, Luís Filipe, David Luiz, Nélson and Edcarlos;
Midfielders: Katsouranis, Bynia, Rui Costa, Adu, Di Maria, Nuno Assis and Petit;
Forwards: Nuno Gomes, Cardozo e Mantorras.

Notable absences are the ones of Maxi and Rodriguez. Both Uruguayans played this past Wednesday against Brasil and are showing signs of tiredness. Rodriguez has not travelled to Lisbon yet from Montevideo has he is currently suffering from an intestinal disposition, he will be making the trip tomorrow with the club's authorization. Three players make their return after going through injury spells - David Luiz, Nelson, Petit. The Brazilian had a chance to play against Nacional in a friendly a week ago, where he was one of the stand out players for Benfica. Nelson returns after a debilitating muscular injury and Petit makes his return from a partial torn ACL. Great news undoubtedly, as these 3 players were starters right before their injuries. Cardozo who had suffered a high ankle sprain in the game against Boavista seems to be ready to go also.

Projected starting 11

Quim will start in goal. In the defense, we will see the return of David Luiz to the center of the defense next to Luisao, Leo will play on the left, and depending on his fitness, we might see Nelson on the right. At this time i don't know what Nelson's conditions are and how fit he is, but i can see Camacho giving him the start in anticipation of wednesday's Champion's League match. It will be a good game for Nelson to play and get back into game fitness. Luis Felipe will be the chosen one IF Nelson can't go. In midfield we will most likely see Binya, as the defensive midfielder along with Katsouranis, Di Maria on the left and Assis on the right, Rui Costa will support Nuno Gomes. Here's my reasoning - Currently Cardozo might not be 100%, and with the Champion's League game coming up, Camacho might not risk putting in the Paraguayan. I really can't see Mantorras starting, which leaves us with one starting forward.
With the return of David Luiz to the center of defense, Katsouranis will be back in the defensive midfield. With 2 defensive midfielders, Camacho will opt to go with 3 offensive minded midfielders - Di Maria, Assis and Rui Costa, with Rui Costa having no defensive responsabilities. This seems to be the most logical starting 11. Rui Costa has less physical exertion when he doesn't have to defend and with Milan's game right around the corner, Camacho will surely try to save up the Maestro. It wouldn't be too far fetched for Adu to start in a center forward supporting role with Rui Costa dropping into the midfield and Katsouranis playing on the right, but it seems highly unlikely.
Look for Petit, Mantorras and possibly Adu to jump off the bench depending of game situation.

Benfica starts a very important cycle with the Academica game, their next match will be a crucial match against Milan, that will dictate their continuation in the Champions League. Benfica will then host Porto in another very important game where they will have an opportunity to cut down their point deficit. The Porto game will be followed by the last Champions League matchday, with a trip to the Ukraine, in what will most likely be a game under frigid unfavorable conditions. A win against Academica will be very important and the right way to start this busy cycle. Benfica will look to continue their winning streak after trouncing Boavista almost 2 weeks ago, We will see how the time off affected Benfica, for one thing, It's good to have players like Petit, Nelson and David Luiz back, and the lenghty rest is also good for some of the veterans namely Leo and Rui Costa.

I will be Posting some links to live streams of the game check back on Saturday for this info.

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Benfica will appeal Binya's ban

Benfica will appeal Binya's 6 game ban from the Champions League. A ban that in my opinion is exagerated. I expected a minimum of 3 games at least. 6 games seems a little bit heavy.. with the appeal Benfica will most likely see it reduced to 4-5 games.
In the meantime i will leave you with a couple of clips.
the first one is a challenge on Binya, obviously before he was red carded. The second one a compilation of less than fair challenges by the Scots during the game..
Watch and reflect, your comments are welcome.

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Mission Accomplished!

Portugal tied Finland and reached the finals of Euro 08. Portugal needed only 1 point to advance but came out to win the game. The same can't be said about Finland that did very little to get the three points, a result that would guarantee their qualification.
Portugal didn't play as well as everyone knows they are capable, but they were effective defensively and did enough to shutdown Finland and make them a non-threatening team.
But once again it was suffering until the very last minute

Scolari fielded the following 11:
Ricardo, Bosingwa, Pepe,Alves, Caneira; Meira, Veloso, Maniche; Quaresma, Ronaldo and Nuno Gomes.

An unexpected starting 11, but here's the logic; The insertion of Meira in the midfield is a clear act of populating the midfield, hence cutting down the space for attacking midfielders to penetrate. Not to mention that this clearly gives the core of the midfield more of a defensive posture, freeing up Quaresma and Ronaldo to attack. The defensive posture was necessary for this game; while a tie was sufficient, a loss would be a devastating result. Portugal didn't play for the tie, but they solidified their midfield, and built from that in hopes they could go up on the scoreboard, yet be defensive enough to no allow any goals, that was the main objective - not allowing goals. Both Veloso and Maniche played side by side while alternating on their attacking runs, while Meira played in front of the central defenders with a limited area of action as far as attacking went. This is a position that Meira plays at his club and it turned out to be the right choice for Scolari, as Meira plays well in that area, right in front of the defenders and as a first line of defense, as well as the "cleaner" playing for the second ball. With Meira stepping up into midfield, Pepe seemed to be the logical choice for the center of the defense. Playing with Alves, his partner last year at Porto, Pepe played a very good game and i was very impressed with his contribution; winning balls with quick anticipation, not to mention how effective he can be in offensive set pieces with his aerial game. Up front, we continue to see a Ronaldo and Quaresma a little bit below of their potential, perhaps the result of the Fin numbers that would immediately drop into their attacking lanes. Nuno Gomes played upfront and tried to combine with Ronaldo and Quaresma as much as he could, but very alone up front. Meireles, Makukula and Nani, came in to refresh positions. Not a pretty game, but effective, Portugal qualifies for their 3rd consecutive European Championship, and once again solidifies their status as European Elite. It was a tough qualification road, but, we must remember that this a Portuguese team that is going through renovation, new blood is being brought in, and these new players need time. Scolari has used 40 different players in the past 3 years, a clear sign of change.
Now it's time to look forward and put this qualifying behind us, there's 6 months until the finals, hopefully Scolari can bring this team together and make them play to their potential.

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Austria/Switzerland Awaits

So, After a little over a year since Qualifying for Euro 08 began, we are down to the very last round. A round where Portugal plays for all or nothing against Finland. The Fins come into the last round with a chance to qualify if they beat Portugal; Portugal on the other hand, will only need a tie to advance. It seems that this is a position that we're all too familiar being in; coming down to the last game and everything on the line. I think the Portuguese people thrive on this, We thrive on the satisfaction the success will bring us from being in such situations, because it is so much sweeter than if we had qualified 3 games ago, in the meantime, anxiety and nervousness seem to be enough to give you a heart attack.

Here we go:
Starting 11 for the Finland game
Ricardo
Bosingwa,Meira, Alves and Caneira
Veloso, Maniche
Quaresma, Simao, Ronalddo
Nuno Gomes

The only change from wednesday's game is the switch between Nuno Gomes and Hugo Almeida, the Werder Bremen forward suffered an injury and will not be able to go. Nuno Gomes gets the nod for the center forward position. Personally i would go with Makukula, as he is stronger physically, has a better aerial game and would be perfect to fight with the 2 tall central defenders. Scolari is banking on Nuno Gomes' experience and tactical game. Nuno Gomes offers more mobility and more combination play with the 3 attacking midfielders.
It'll be a very different game than the one from Saturday, Finland is a much better team than Armenia and they are going to lay it all on the line, as they have nothing to lose and all to gain. Hopefully the Portuguese will take the Fins alot more serious than the Armenians and will play on a level we know they are capable of.

Keys to the game:

Defensive line - The defense needs to lose the level of passiveness they had against the Armenians; markings should be tight and offensive players should not be given so much space to organize or even to think about a play. This where the games needs to start, while Portugal will not play for a tie, a strong, non-permissive defense is the biggest key to advance, whether by tying or winning the game.

Offensive mobility - it is very important that there is no ball watching. All the offensive players should remain in constant movement. This will not only provide pass options but will free up running lanes. This is very important, with Portugal having as much skill as they have, constant motion will make the Fins marking almost impossible and it's very hard to defend against.

Quaresma/Ronaldo - Definetely not at their best against the Armenians, look for Cristiano Ronaldo to step up, as he loves games like this. Quaresma also needs to play well, let's hope that playing at the Dragao can produce the same Quaresma that wears the blue and white jersey.
With Quaresma and Ronaldo at their best, it'll be hard to lose this game.

Crowd Support - The team needs support from the crowd. I can't understand how people that go to these games can jeer their national team, that is such a cowardly and ignorant act. I see those people as people who really don't want to see the National team succeed and do well. Yes, the players are professionals and make lots of money playing the sport, but still deserve all of our support as they have given us many moments of pride. A sold out Dragao behind the team will be enough to win the game.

It'll be a hard one, but i think Portugal will come through in the end, making us suffer until the very last minute.
1-0

Make your toughts heard about this game in the Talksoccer.com Forum

Forca Portugal!!!!

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Benfica Weekend Review

Benfica traveled to Madeira this past Friday to face Nacional, in a game that was part of the festivities belonging to the inauguration of the Cristiano Ronaldo Futebol Campus. Benfica came away with the win with Dabao getting the winning goal in the closing minutes.
Camacho started the following players:
Butt in goal; Luis Felipe, Edcarlos, David Luiz and Ruben Lima; Romeu Ribeiro played defensive mid, Andres Diaz, Assis and Coentrao composed the more advanced line of midfield. Up front it was Di Maria supporting Bergessio. Also making appearances in the game were: Moreira, David Simao, Andre Carvalhas, Mantorras and Yu Dabao. While the game served as a celebration for the madeira team, the biggest celebration has to come from Benfica fan's everywhere. Not only for the victory, despite of not counting for anything, but for what the game really meant. Let's examine:
- Moreira's first official match since suffering a knee injury that has kept him out of the team for a lengthy period of time. Moreira has been the darling of many Benfiquista's and is the choice of many to be Benfica's number 1. Seeing him in action again has certainly brough joy to many Benfiquistas.
- David Luiz's return, and what a return! Safe, secure, with a man of the match type of performance. It won't be too long before he is playing next to Luisao.
- Juniors: Ruben Lima, Andre Carvalhas and David Simao all made their first team debut and showed where Benfica's future lies. Let's not forget that Romeu Ribeiro and Miguel Victor are also juniors still. With this type of talent, the future is bright and as a Benfiquista i can only be happy with the fact that there are youngsters being brought up through our youth system that are future senior team players.
Mantorras - it's always nice to see the Angolan international come into the game and make a difference. The Benfica goal comes from Mantorras' long distance shot, that Dabao puts away after the ball rebounded off the crossbar.
Even tough it was Nacional's night to celebrate, Benfiquista's everywhere should eb the ones celebrating for the reasons i just mentioned above

On Saturday, The US national team beat South Africa by the score of 1-0 with an assist of Freddy Adu which started for the Americans. Also on Saturday, Petit told the media that he will be ready to integrate training this starting week and may even be 100% to play the Academica match (countdown on the side)

On Sunday, Christian Rodriguez, started in Uruguay's WC qualifier against Chile, in a match that ended in a draw

Remember these faces:
Simao, Carvalhas, Lima

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Portugal 1 - Armenia 0 - Just Enough

Portugal beat Armenia by the score of 1-0, in a game where the goal and the 3 points were the most important thing. I'm not going to go into a long analysis of the game; i'll summarize it by saying that the performance wasn't all that great, but in soccer, goals win games not performances and in that aspect Portugal deserved to win. Portugal will need to play a lot better on Wednesday when they face Finland. The Fins are a lot better than Armenia and have as much riding on the result as Portugal.

As always, it seems to be the norm for the national team to make the Portuguese people suffer until the very last whistle, it's a tradition by now. Portugal really didn't need to be in this position, but they head into the final round of qualifying looking for 1 spot out of the 4 still up for grabs for the Euro 08. Poland has already qualified, which leaves Portugal, Servia and Finland to fight for the very last spot in Group A. - "Sofre Coracao"

Check Back for a preview of the Finland game.

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It ain't no thing but an Armenian Wing

Date: November 17th, 2007
Time: 9pm (local time)
Place : Estadio Dr Magalhaes Pessoa, Leiria, Portugal

Portugal has a date with destiny this Saturday, playing the first of two crucial matches that will determine their 4th consecutive presence in a European Cup. Portugal faces Armenia before a sold out crowd in Leiria. Armenia is currently out of the running as far as qualification goes, 6th in the group. Their coach told the media today that they will play to leave a good image and to possibly surprise the Portuguese side once again. Portugal traveled to Armenia this past August and tied the Armenian side, in one of Portugal's worst performances of qualifying. This time Portugal plays before their home fans in a pitch that will be in far better conditions than the bumpy pitch they had to play in Armenia. This is a total different Portugal team from the team that traveled to Armenia, not in the personnel aspect of it, but because most players had just began their club seasons and lacked competitive rhythm and still showed some rustiness.

My Projected 11
Ricardo
Bosingwa - Meira - Alves - Caneira
Veloso - Maniche
Quaresma-Simao - Ronaldo
Hugo Almeida

Bosingwa, Meira, Caneira and Alves have started in most of their club team games and are rolling on all cylinders. Veloso has been an important member of Sporting and is currently going through one of the best years of his short career as a senior. Maniche seems to have earned his spot at Atletico de Madrid, a spot that wasn't always his last season. Quaresma has also been the man at Porto, while Simao is taking a little bit to break into the start studded Atletico de Madrid starting 11, but he's at a very good level. Cristiano Ronaldo has been blazing the Premiership and has hit full stride for Manchester United, being an instrumental for their success so far. Almeida is presently the most productive Portuguese forward, having scored 7 goals in 12 games for his club Werder Bremen. A very different squad from August, form wise.

Keys to the game
Quick Start -Portugal needs to go right at the Armenian side and control the game. An early goal will relieve some of the pressure and will allow the Portuguese to play their game.

Simao - Simao will be playing in a crucial position, while Deco's style is very different and mostly focus on the passing game, Simao can provide quickness and will very easily integrate into the attacking line. But how will Portugal adapt to Simao's game and playing style in the middle?

Quaresma and Ronaldo - Both wingers need to be on their best devilish behavior, crossing opposing defender's eyes with fast footwork while creating mismatches to free up marked players.
Stopping the Armenian Counter - The Armenian team will definitely play on the counter and hope they can surprise the all out attacking Portuguese side. Portugal's midfield need to close Armenia's transition quickly and both Bosingwa and Caneira should not allow any type of wing play from the Armenians and should shut down quick and high up on the field.

Portugal needs to win the game and i think that's what they will come out and do from the start.
I'm predicting 3-0 Portugal

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The Chosen Ones

For the last 2 games of qualifying Scolari called the following players:

Keepers: Ricardo (Bétis) and Quim (Benfica).
Defenders: Bosingwa and Bruno Alves (FC Porto), Miguel and Caneira (Valência), Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea), Fernando Meira (Estugarda), Pepe (Real Madrid) and Jorge Ribeiro (Boavista).
Midfielders: Raul Meireles (FC Porto), Miguel Veloso (Sporting), Manuel Fernandes (Valência) and Maniche (Atlético Madrid).
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani (Manchester United), Simão (Atlético Madrid), Ricardo Quaresma (FC Porto), Nuno Gomes (Benfica), Hugo Almeida (Werder Bremen) and Makukula (Marítimo).

Ricardo Carvalho reported to camp with complaints of back pain, and after several tests he was declared unfit and excused from the National team. Apparently it was an injury that Carvalho had suffered in the last game he played for Chelsea, an injury that was later described as fractured vertebras in his back. He will be out of action for at least 8 weeks. Miguel contracted a muscular injury during one of the first training sessions and was also excused from national team duty. He was later substituted by Sporting's right back - Abel, who earned his first call up.

Breaking Down the sectors

Keepers - Ricardo and Quim have been the the 2 keepers of choice of Scolari for a long time now. In my opinion they are undoubtedly the best 2 Portuguese keepers at the moment. Ricardo will continue to be #1 despite Quim's good form.

Defenders - The middle of the defense seems to be the deepest position for Portugal, with no lack of good players currently. Due to the injury of Ricardo Carvalho, Scolari will have 3 natural defenders at his disposal - Meira, Bruno Alves and Pepe. The Luso-Brasilian is making his first National team camp appearance after being excused from the last concentration due to an injury. There was no need to call another player for Carvalho's spot, being that, Both Caneira and Miguel Veloso can serve as back up. Alves has played well and has been a starter for the past 4 national team games, if i'm not mistaken, he benefitted from Andrade's poor form and injury to break into the starting team and he has been there ever since. Meira played all of last years World Cup and has played on and off in the middle of defense throughout qualification. He is currently enjoying a good period of form and has had an important role at his club team - Stuttgart, where he is a captain. Pepe is coming from an injury and despite his familiarity with Alves he is lacking the familiarity with other defensive sector players as well as midfield players. So in the middle we will see Meira and Alves. For the sides, Bosingwa will get the start on the right as he is going through a great period of form and is a player with great stamina and athleticism. On the left it'll be Caneira, who will return after being injured in the game against Poland back in August. Abel and Ribeiro, will be there to add depth. Absent is Paulo Ferreira who is currently injured.

Midfield - Manuel Fernandes returns after more than 2 and a half years since his last call up. He is a player that has similar characteristics of Tiago, who seems to be going through a rough period at Juventus. Manuel Fernandes has been a stand out for the u-21 national team and is a player that has really matured in the past year or so, his call up was inevitable. Miguel Veloso, Raul Meireles and Maniche maintain Scolari's trust. Meireles and Veloso have more defensive characteristics, while Maniche is a pure transition player. Manuel Fernandes adds depth to the middle of the field as he is capable of playing both positions. Veloso and Maniche will get the nod in the midfield. Moutinho is the other notable absence, with Scolari wanting to go with a more offensive minded player in Manuel Fernandes.

Forwards - With Deco's absence in the midfield due to injury, Scolari told the media that he will use Simao in the "10" position. It is not an unfamiliar postion for the winger, he played it several times while at Benfica, and is tactically and technically sound for the task. This means that we will see Quaresma and Cristiano Ronaldo on the wings. Something, that is by some considered the dream wing tandem and the future. Nani will serve as back up for one of the wingers although he can also play a striker position if need be. Up front there's 3 for one spot. Makukula, Almeida and Nuno Gomes. Scolari has already told the media that, currently Nuno Gomes is not 100% to start (he has only played one full 90min games since returning from injury with Benfica) so the decision will fall on Makukula or Almeida, with the latter one having the advantage of having played a lot more minutes with the other 10 players, a factor that has certainly been taken into consideration by Scolari. Absent is Postiga, Scolari did not comment on Postiga's absence, but one can only conclude that the 3 center forwards called are all in better form than Postiga.

Starting 11

In conclusion i am projecting the following 11 to start -

Ricardo

Bosingwa - Meira - Alves - Caneira

Veloso

Maniche

Quaresma - Simao - Ronaldo

Almeida

Next Post - Game preview

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Do or Die for Portugal

With 2 rounds left to go in Euro 08 Qualifying, it becomes time to "do or die" for many teams, one of them being Portugal. Portugal is currently second in Group A one point behind leaders Poland.
Here's what the standings look like:

Poland 24pts
Portugal 23pts
Serbia 20pts
Finland 20pts
Belgium 15pts
Armenia 9pts
Kazakhstan 7pts
Azerbaijan 5pts

With 2 rounds and 6 points up for grabs, Portugal needs 4 points to qualify. Looking at the teams who have a chance of qualifying; Poland will play Belgium at home and will go to Serbia on their final game. Portugal will play the remaining 2 games at home against Armenia and Finland respectively. Serbia will also play their final 2 games at home against Kazakhstan and Poland. Finland will host Azerbaijan and travel to Portugal for the last game. So there's still a lot that can happen, ultimately Portugal controls their destiny, with an easier first game against Armenia and then a crucial game against Finland. Finland will be looking to get the most points in hopes of qualifying, they have a seemingly easy game against last place Azerbaijan and will be looking to go into the Portugal game with chances of qualifying. Group leaders Poland, will have a very hard game against Belgium, who despite being out of the run, will not "play nice", anything other than a win for Poland can possibly see them dropping to second place if Portugal beats Armenia, the Polish will then have a very difficult game in Serbia, where the Serbs will possibly have a chance of qualifying with a win against the Pols, being that their game on Saturday is against second to last place Kazakhstan.
So everything still very much open with Portugal and Poland in control of their destinies but with difficult last round games. Portugal has the edge playing at home, the Pols will have a harder task with 2 difficult games, the last one being away at a Serbia.

Next Post
I will analyze Scolari's call up list and project the starting 11 for Saturday's match.

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Benfica is everywhere!!!

I found this on the Freddy Adu's Site, of which i am proud contributor. This was a funny occurrence that was posted on the U.S. Men's National team Blog

"As we arrived back from training this afternoon, the whole team tried to pile into the elevator - this always happens - creating a predictable logjam. Eventually after everyone had departed, we were left to take an elevator with our General Manager Pam Perkins and Freddy Adu. Around about floor six, a guy jumped into the elevator, gave us a cursory greeting and turned away again. He did a quick double-take, though, and he exclaimed (in an accent that we couldn’t decipher): “You’re Freddy?” Freddy nodded, and the man immediately became excited. “Oh my, this is fantastic!” blurted out the stranger as he began to fumble through his belongings. Sure enough, this guy was a card carrying Benfica supporter. Like, he actually carried a plastic card that identified him as a fan of the team. Freddy gave him a hug, and the two enjoyed a good laugh. “I can’t believe this!” the man blurted out as he left the elevator, “Freddy Adu in South Africa!” “This isn’t even the first time something like that’s happened,” chuckled Freddy, “there are Benfica fans everywhere.”

#photo credit - Isabel Cutileiro

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Frank Cunha

I'd like to take this opportunity to personally thank Frank Cunha for the visibility he has brought this Blog. Besides being a friend from way back, Frank has devoted an enormous amount of time working with youngsters through soccer.
When I first met Frank, Frank used to run the soccer program at Boys and Girls club in the Ironbound section of Newark, one of the largest Portuguese-American comunities in the US. Having just arrived in the US, and feeling out of place, the Ironbound Boys club was a place that was a little piece of home away from home, a place where i could go play the sport that i love, a place where i made life long friends. Like me, there are individuals in the New Jersey Portuguese-American community that came up playing soccer in the Ironbound Boys Club in Newark. A place that has a special place in my heart for the memories it has given me and the people that i met throughout that time, Frank was one of them. Currently, Frank is a moderator at a Benfica Forum that lives at talksoccer.com. In this forum you can find a lot of Benfica information from the cycling team to the men's team, it is a source for endless information, much like its moderator, Frank. Frank also "feeds" information to the portuguese Women's National Team coach about young talented Portuguese-American athletes doing well in their collegiate teams.
Thank You Frank

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Nacional - Benfica (Friendly)

Benfica will face off against Nacional da Madeira this friday. It's a friendly game that is part of the team's unveiling of their new grandstand as well as their brand new soccer complex - Cristiano Ronaldo Campus.

Camacho is taking the following players:
Keepers: Moreira and Butt
Defenders: David Luiz, Luis Filipe, Edcarlos, Luisão and Léo
Midfielders: Andres Diaz, Nuno Assis, Romeu Ribeiro,
Forwards: Di Maria, Coentrão, Bergessio, Dabao, Mantorras
Camacho is also taking 3 juniors: left backRuben Lima, midfielder David Simão and forward sensation André Carvalhas.

Moreira makes his return after his long absence from knee surgery. David Luiz is also back in the call up sheet.

Nelson was declared fit to integrate team training this morning by Benfica's clinical department, but he won't make the trip. Rui Costa will also not make the trip. The Maestro had some muscular complaints this past wednesday and Camacho has given him the well deserved rest. He will most likely follow a recuperation program with Benfica's Physio.

Look for a similar line up as the the ones fielded in the Carlsberg Cup.
Butt will most likely be in goal with the possibility of Moreira coming in at the half.
In defense, David Luiz will see some minutes. With Binya and Katsou out, i wouldn't be surprised to see Edcarlos in the midfield, which would free up a starting 11 spot for Luiz. The other alternative for the defensive midfield can also be Romeu Ribeiro. The junior has been given playing time by Camacho and it wouldn't surprise me if he got considerable minutes.
Nuno Assis will be in the "10" role while Di maria will be on one of the wings. Coentrao will be on the other wing. Bergessio, Mantorras and Dabao should also see some action, depending if Camacho decides to go with a 4-4-2 or a 4-5-1.
The result will not be the most important thing for Benfica. Camacho will be looking at David Luiz and Moreira and see how these players will bounce back from their injuries. For others like Bergessio, Dabao, Coentrao and Mantorras, it'll be a chance to show themselves as they face a race against the clock. The january window approaches fast and the opportunities are dwindling, they might not get many more chances to make an impression.

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Time to switch shirts!

With Portugal's qualifying for Euro 2008 on the line, with games on Saturday and Wednesday, it's time to take off the Benfica shirt and put on the shirt of the national team.

Observations, previews and predictions coming soon!

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Benfica's Clinical Bulletin

Cardozo - High ankle sprain. currently treating;
Petit - Continues rehab program alternating between gym work and specific individual training on the field.
Miguelito - Currently treating a muscle strain suffered in training.
Nélson - Continues rehab program alternating between field of play and gym.
Miguel Vítor - Suffers from a bruise in the left lombar area(suffered against Sporting in a Junior game)

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Benfica Players on International Duty

The following players will be away on international duty:

Binya - Binya will be attending a short Cameroonian National team camp that will serve as observation of new as well as regular players for the new coach, Otto Pfister. The camp will take place in Nuremberg, Germany from the 15th through the 19th of November. Cameroon will need to start preparing for the African Nations Cup taking place January through the end of February, this is certainly a chance for the new coach to look at the players and to start thinking about the squad that will participate in the African competition.

Katsouranis -Katsouranis will basically be celebrating the Greek's team qualification. It'll be their first home game since their qualification, and the fans will surely give the team a warm reception in a party atmosphere. They will host Malta and will then play Hungary on the following wednesday.
Quim and Nuno Gomes - were called up by Scolari for the 2 decisive games that will dictate Portugal's qualification for the Euro 2008. The games will be against Armenia and FInland, and Portugal can qualify with 2 wins. I will explore these 2 games in an upcoming post.
Freddy Adu - Freddy earned his second straight call up to the US Men's National team, they will travel to South Africa to play the Bafana, Bafana onNovember 17th.

Maxi and Rodriguez - Were both called up for the Uruguayan National team against Chile and Brasil on 18th and 21st of November, respectively. These are games that are already towards World Cup Qualification.



Called But not Attending

Oscar Cardozo - Cardozo had been called originally for his team's double round of qualifiers, but was scratched off the call up sheet after picking up an injury on this past Sunday's game.

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Cardozo out at least 2 weeks

The Benfica clinical department reported today that Cardozo will be out of action for at least 2 weeks. Cardozo was the victim of a very ugly tackle by Ricardo Silva this past Sunday, and suffers from a severe high left ankle sprain. The Paraguay international was scratched off his national team's call up squad, who is going to be playing a double round for World Cup qualifying matches. Two weeks would make Cardozo unavailable for the next Bwin game against Academica, as well as the decisive clash against Milan for the Champions League. Let's hope that he recuperates in time for the FC Porto match.
Well wishes for Cardozo.

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Benfica Trounces Boavista 6-1

Benfica obtained an important win this Sunday, not only for the clear and justified victory over Boavista but also because FC Porto tied, and Sporting lost against Braga. Benfica is now 4 points behind leaders FC Porto, and is 4 points ahead of their arch rivals Sporting.

Camacho started the following 11:
Quim in goal, Luis Felipe, Luisao, Katsouranis and Leo in defense. In the midfield; Rodriguez, Binya, Rui Costa and Maxi. While upfront it was Nuno Gomes supporting Cardozo. This was the line up i had projected for this game, it seems the most logical line up at this point in time. Katsouranis is playing well next to Luisao, and the old saying applies here - if it isn't broken don't fix it. Maxi's inclusion in the midfield provides a balance to a midfield who has Rui Costa and Rodriguez as clear offensive minded players. Up front, Nuno Gomes offered support to Cardozo which is how Benfica is going to take full advantage of the Paraguay international. Cardozo is by no means a player who can play by himself against the 2 central defenders, he needs a more mobile player to support him, and that player is Nuno Gomes. Off course it's very easy to come to this conclusion after Sunday's result, but , this is what is the most logical way of playing, taking into consideration Nuno Gomes style of play. Nuno Gomes is not a pure center forward, he is not the killer instinct forward. He is a player who plays best when playing with another forward or playing 1-2s with the attacking midfielders, this is Nuno Gomes' role. On to the game. Benfica started off well, taking control and initiative of the game, before a Boavista team that started 3 speedy attacking forwards- Kalanga, Fary and Mateus. Jaime Pacheco, clearly set his team in hope that these three could hurt Benfica on the counter. Benfica scored their first goal at the 18 minute mark after a good combination between Rui Costa, Nuno Gomes and Cardozo, with Rui Costa assisting Cardozo, who would touch it past the keeper and open the score sheet for Benfica. Up until this point Benfica had been the team who had dominated the most, with a couple clear wasted chances to increase their tally right before the half, chances that were met with a few signs of life by Boavista also, threatening Quim's goal on a couple occasions with distant shots. Half time came and while Benfica had dominated the first half, i had the feeling that Boavista was far from being defeated. The start of the second half showed just that, with Boavista scoring the tying goal on the 57 minute, right after Ze Kalanga had picked up his second yellow card. Benfica reacted well and would tie 9 minutes later by Maxi, who scored his first goal with a Benfica jersey. From then on Benfica took full advantage of the numerical advantage and would go on a scoring rampage. In the 66 minute Rodriguez made it 3-1 with a header to the far side of the goal. Camacho then substituted Maxi for Di Maria in an attempt to go for the jugular. The Argentinian international started well and would be involved in Benfica's 4th goal, a goal which he riffled the ball towards goal and the ball "ricocheted" off a Boavista player into the goal. 80 minutes had gone by and the scoreboard seemed to be done for the night, but that wasn't to be the case. Nuno Gomes added 2 more goals, 85th min and 88th minute, with the second one coming from the penalty spot. Benfica would have the chance to make it 7, if it wasn't for Bergessio, who had come in for Cardozo, missing a penalty kick. Camacho burned his last substitution with the entrance of Romeu Ribeiro for Rui Costa. The game would end up 6-1, with a clear victory for Benfica who dominated most of the game, and took full advantage of their numerical advantage.

Couple of observations, Rui Costa continues to prove that at 35 you can still be a very influential player, he controlled all of Benfica's game and orchestrated the good performance by Benfica clearly the man of the match for me.
Binya, there was doubts as to how the camerooonian was going to react to the criticism after tuesday's horror tackle. He had a very discreet good performance, he was not as hasty in his challenges and was able to control his aggressiveness while being very effective. While in prior games he might of been remembered for a tackle that could have gotten him ejected, on Sunday Binya flew under the radar, playing a very good tactical game and doing what is expected of a player in that position. I hope he has learned from Tuesday and that this is the turn of a new leaf for him. Speaking of challenges, Ricardo Silva's challenge on Cardozo, which would eventually cause Cardozo to come out, is a challenge for a red card. Bergessio continues to not be able to prove his worth to Camacho. He asked to take a penalty in hopes that would bring him out of his slump, and would permit the goalie to save it. He is either going to a very bad slump or he is not the player Benfica thought he was. Luis Felipe, the way he gets beat on the Boavista goal is incredible and reveals a bit of ingenuity on his part by not fouling the very fast Mateus in the midfield.The only negative from today's game for me was the fact that Freddy Adu did not play. With the lop sided score, i would have expected Camacho to throw Freddy in, it was a non-pressure situation, and we would have been able to have seen Freddy play in is natural position or maybe in a playmaking position. Maybe next time.

Important victory for Benfica, no only for the "W" but also for what their opponents did and how they managed to take advantage of this.

Best moments

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Benfica - Boavista - 10th Round Preview

Boavista travels to Lisbon this Sunday to play Benfica, in a match that will once again be an important one for Benfica. Boavista comes into Estadio da Luz in 13th place with six points, all of them coming from ties, as Boavista has not won a game in the Bwin yet. They will be looking to get in the winning column, and what a better way to do it than against Benfica. On the other hand, Benfica is in sole possession of second place trailing Porto by 6 points and ahead of Sporting by 1 point, needless to say, no margin for error.

For this Sunday's game Camacho has called the following players:
Keepers: Quim and Butt;
Defenders: Luis Filipe, Edcarlos, Luisão and Léo;
Midfielders: Katsouranis, Rui Costa, Maxi Pereira, Bynia, Nuno Assis, Cristian Rodriguez, Adu and Romeu Ribeiro;
Forwards: Cardozo, Bergessio, Di Maria and Nuno Gomes.

Romeu Ribeiro makes his return to the call up sheet after being hurt. I think it's the first time Adu has been listed as a Midfielder not a forward in the official call up sheet, if i'm not mistaken. The list of defenders seems a little slim, but both Katsouranis and Maxi can play defense. Zoro was left out by option and Miguelito is hurt. David Luiz made his return to full training this week, but is not game ready yet, as he needs to work on his fitness. Petit and Nelson continue on the injury list.
Looking at the players selected, i'm projecting the following line up:
Quim in goal. The defense will be composed of Leo, Luisao, Katsouranis and Luis Felipe. In midfield, Binya will play in the defensive midfield role, Rodriguez and Maxi will play on the wings, Rui Costa will be in his customary playmaking role, while upfront it'll be Nuno Gomes and Cardozo. Another variation can be Maxi in Luis Felipe's spot and Assis or Di Maria on the right wing, which might be unlikely, if Camacho decides to go with 2 forwards, which is most likely what will happen. Maxi offers more balance to a 4-4-2 configuration and with only one defensive midfielder in Binya, Camacho needs another player with more defensive characteristics in the midfield. Assis is clearly at his best playing behind the center forward and Di Maria is a pure offensive winger. Look for Di Maria to come off the bench for Maxi at the hour mark, We might also see Adu late in the game, either as a last minute weapon or as a refresher to the attacking third.

A few things to watch for:
- Binya - there is no doubt that the Cameroonian will be closely watched by the referee, after what happened this past tuesday. He will be victim of different criteria, and he will not have the benefit of the doubt from the referee, let's see how this conditions the game on his part.
- Cardozo/Nuno Gomes partnership - these 2 haven't played together for a while now. If i'm not mistaken, the last game they played together was a game against Naval, a game Benfica won 3-0.
- Leo - the Brazilian international was in doubt not only for this game, but also for Tuesday's game. It is obvious Leo is not 100%, he has not been working out with the team, and has been following a "tiredness management" program with Benfica's physio.
- Team response - After an unfortunate loss in Glasgow, the team will need to show that they weren't affected by the result from tuesday. Team captain Nuno Gomes came out in defense of Binya this past friday, a sign the group is as close as ever. They will need to prove that on the field as well.

In conclusion, another tough game for Benfica this sunday. Jaime Pacheco's men will be up to the task, and will be looking to get their first win of the season against Benfica. There's no doubt in my mind that they will try to explore the Binya factor, with provocations and less than lawful tackles and see how he will respond. It will be a test to the maturity of the Cameroonian player and to what he has learned in these past 3 days. An exciting match no doubt but look for Benfica to win this one 2-0.

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Down But Not Out

With Matchday 4 come and gone, hopefully some of you have had a chance to “digest” Benfica’s result from Tuesday. Benfica was unlucky and should have come out of Celtic Park with at least a tie. Benfica did enough for the win but, not putting goals away will hurt you every time, not to mention the Celtic goal coming from a ball that struck Luisao and fooled Quim. In retrospect Benfica did have a positive performance, but goals win games not performances.

So with 2 more rounds to go, I want to go through the probabilities of what any of the 3 results against Milan can do for Benfica.

In the event of a Benfica win over Milan

A Shakhtar win at Celtic - would still leave the group wide open – both Milan and Shaktar would have 9 points while Celtic and Benfica would have 6 points leaving all decisions for matchday 6..

A Celtic win over Shakhtar – would basically leave everything the same as above except Shakthar and Celtic would swap places.

A tie between Celtic and Shaktar – would see Celtic tie Shaktar with 7 points, while Benfica would then have 6 points. Milan would still lead the group with 9 points.

This last scenario would leave everything open to the last Matchday with Benfica possibly qualifying to the second round with a win over Shakhtar – let’s not forget Celtic would travel to Milan to play Celtic, on what will definitely be a grudge match after the events of the game in Glasgow between these 2 teams.

In the Event of a Benfica tie with Milan –

A Shakhtar win over Celtic - would leave Benfica to fight for a Uefa Cup spot only, and qualification would be dependent on nothing less than a win in the last matchday and a Celtic loss to Milan

A Celtic win over Shakhtar – would have the same result, with Celtic and Shakhtar swapping positions. With Benfica having full control of their destiny, having to play Shakhtar, their direct opposition for Uefa Cup qualification, in the last round.

A Tie between Celtic and Shaktar - would leave everything open to the last matchday – Benfica would have to win to at least qualify for the the Uefa cup, assuming Milan will beat Celtic in the final matchday – it’ll come down to some type of tiebreaker.

In the Event of a Benfica Loss to Milan – Benfica would be out of the Champions League for sure.

A Shakhtar win – would leave Benfica and Celtic to tiebreak for the Uefa cup, assuming Celtic loses to Milan in the last matchday and Benfica beats Shakhtar.

A Celtic win – would be the same as above except, it would leave Shaktar in Celtics situation, and Benfica depending only on themselves to qualify for the Uefa as they will be playing their direct opposition for the Uefa spot.

A tie between Celtic and Shakhtar – would eliminate Benfica altogether from Europe.

To conclude, 2 Benfica wins would give them the best chance to qualify for the second round of the Champions League, and that’s the only thing the team should be aiming for.

# pictures - Isabel Cutileiro

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A Welcome Return.

David Luiz is Back!! - The young Brazilian international worked out with no limitations this Thursday in a scrimmage match against the Juniors. Luiz fractured one of his toes a little over two months ago during a training session. Welcome Back!
Petit and Nelson continue their recuperation at a good rate.

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Celtic 1 - Benfica 0 Matchday 4

Down, but not Out

Benfica comes away from Celtic Park with no points and puts at risk their qualifications to the Champions League second round as well as a possible UEFA Cup Entry.
Camacho starting the following 11:
Quim in goal. Luis Felipe, Luisao,Edcarlos and Leo on defense. Binya andKasouranis as the 2 defensive midfielders. Maxi,Rui Costa andRodriguez in the midfield and Cardozo as the lone striker. I want to just analyze these starting 11 for a sec. Some of you might wonder why Di Maria didn't start or even Nuno Assis in the midfield, and the answer is simple - taking into consideration that Benfica was playing at Celtic Park, and that Celtic would come out hard with their fans behind them, Camacho decided to field a more defensive team. The usage of Binya and Kasouranis as the 2 defensive mids is a clear sign that Camacho wanted to have more numbers in the midfield, increasing his chances of being able to control the middle of the park, and subsequently Celtic's initial pressure. With 2 defensive mids, Rui Costa becomes a player with 2 assignments - play maker and attacker, being that Rodriguez is an attack minded player by nature, it would only make sense that Maxi would be in there as another defensive minded player. Yes, theoretically Di Maria or Assis could have provided an extra offensive spark, but you would lose the balance you are trying to create with numbers in the midfield. Keep in mind that this is just the thinking part before the game. It's very easy to point fingers after the game, and say that it was the wrong choice and this and that. The point is, playing away in a difficult stadium by nature, and playing against a team that you know is going to come at you. It makes sense to go with more of a defensively balanced minded tactic.
Benfica did have very clear opportunities in the first half, with Cardozo showing some of his goal scoring capabilities. Why is it we can't have the same Cardozo in the Bwin? Benfica had a good half and the 0-0 result at the end of the half seemed fair, but it wasn't to be. Benfica suffered a goal in the dying minutes of the half, a goal that somewhat conditioned the team's behaviour, up until this time, the team felt that they were working hard, and that the goal would inevitably come. All of sudden they see themselves down by 1, and go into the locker room thinking how they will turn this one around . Second half saw Benfica come out strong again and cause some danger to the Celtic defense, but without seeing a goal. Camacho made one substitution at the hour mark. Di maria substituted Maxi, wasn't playing all that well, in hopes of being able to penetrate the Celtic defense. Di Maria did bring some more offensive power but didn't make much of a difference on the score board. At the 77 minute mark, Camacho made is last 2 subs simultaneously - Nuno Gomes for Cardozo, Bergessio for Rui Costa. This double substitution baffled me. Rui Costa was in control of Benfica's midfield and seemed to be one of the few still capable of making a difference. I didn't see the logic, not to mention, that Bergessio was the player chosen to substitute him. I think it would have made more sense if Adu had been the chosen player. Not only does Freddy play in a very similar position he has also been Benfica's talisman in the last few games. Why not Adu? The choice to bring Nuno Gomes on, was the correct one, but shouldn't you add another forward if you are looking to score? In the 88th minute, probably one of the worst actions i've seen a Benfica player ever have, Binya committed an act of "attempted injury", he flat out went in the play to hurt the Celtic player. He got the direct red as a result.
I'm sorry but i can't tolerate such action as a Benfica fan, Benfica MUST penalize this player.
The game would finish with the score 1-0 and Benfica felt they could have come out of Celtic Park with better result. Dubious last 2 substitutions and our lack of effectiveness in regards to the chances we had, were, i'm opinion, the most obvious negatives of this game. As far as positives - Quim, kept the game close with a couple world class saves. The way the team handled the atmosphere at Celtic Park and how they were able to silence the crowd at times.
I know that's very easy to say - oh this guy sucks, and the team sucks and they are not worth garbage, but that won't get us anywhere. The team is what it, and we have to think how we can make a better team with what we have? Surely some players will be on the way out of the roster, the secret is how will Benfica make improvements to the team?

So now, with a difficult game against Milan at home and a hard away game in the Ukraine, it becomes a time to ring the alarm, not only for the second round but also for the UEFA cup also.
Last place with 3 points while Shakthar and Celtic have 6 points and a Milan that seem to be destined to win the group. Seems difficult, but we continue to have control of our future.
I'm going to look at the probabilities for Benfica and what needs to happen in a future post.

Saudacoes Benfiquistas

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