Sporting - Benfica Preview

This Sunday, Portugal's eternal rivals meet for the 274th time. The history between the two goes back a little bit over 100 years, when the teams first played each other on December 1st, 1907. Throughout the years Benfica has had the edge over Sporting, winning more leagues, and beating their rivals in more occasions.
Benfica and Sporting have always been at opposite ends, they have been the subject of each other's ridiculing and will forever be separated by their own beliefs and ideologies.
Currently both teams are far from being the powerhouses they have accustomed us in the past, Benfica is in 2nd while Sporting is currently in 4th, with 5 points in between the two.
Perhaps this scenario could be like many other seasons with the 3 top teams in Portugal fighting for the league title, but that is not the case, as the giant 12 point gap between leaders Porto and second place Benfica really tell the tale of what a bad season it has been for both Sporting and Benfica.
With the league being a distant spec on the horizon, both teams are now focused on 2nd place, which will grant direct access into the Champions League, with a win Benfica can put a sizable lead between them and their rivals, with a loss, Benfica will see their error margin shrink.
Without direct consequences on the title race, the game is still a very important game for both team's European aspirations.


This season:
Sporting's home performance:
7 wins
2 ties
0 losses
21 goals scored
6 allowed

Benfica's away performance:
6 wins
3 ties
1 loss
17 goals scored
7 allowed
Benfica is the team with the most goals scored away and second best when it comes to allowing goals away.

Statistically, a very interesting match, while Benfica has done much better away than at home, Sporting has the majority of points from the results they have obtained at home. So both teams bring their strong points into this game, and something will have to give, or not. Benfica has not lost a game since the 15th of December, they will look to continue their unbeaten streak.

For this game Camacho has called the following players:

Keepers: Quim and Butt;
Defenders: Luís Filipe, Zoro, Léo, Nélson, Edcarlos and Sepsi;
Midfielders: Katsouranis, Rui Costa, Binya, Rodriguez, Nuno Assis, Maxi Pereira and Di María;
Forwards: Cardozo, Mantorras, Makukula and Adu

Luisao is still suffering from meniscus problems and did not recuperate in time. Also out of the line up are NuNo Gomes, Petit and David Luiz, all still recuperating from injuries that have kept them out in previous games.

Tough to say how Camacho will set up the team, but he will most likely go with the usual 4-2-3-1. Control of the midfield is vital in this game, and numbers in the midfield will give Benfica a better chance of doing that. Up front the lone forward will have a hard task, as he will be alone and outnumbered, his performance will depend upon how Benfica will get the ball to the center forward.

Projected line up

Quim in goal, Nelson, Edcarlos, Katsouranis and Leo on the left. In the midfield, Binya and Maxi will be in front of the defense, while Assis, Rui Costa and DiMaria will support Cardozo. Rodriguez, who is 100%, will most likely start the game from the bench, while Makukula's availability will go down to a game time decision, but he will start on the bench regardless.


Benfica will look to test Sporting's Rui patricio early, as the young keeper has had shaky moments in goal. It'll be a hard fought game, with most of the fight coming in the midfield sector. That is the one crucial sector where the game could possibly be won. On Sporting's side, Liedson and Romagnoli were confirmed absences this morning by Paulo Bento. Certainly two heavy losses for Sporting who will look to find other solutions in their attack. Heavy importance should also be given to "dead ball" situations as these have the potential to be game definers, as the teams will defensively match up well.

Playing home, Sporting will come out wanting to assume control of the game, Benfica will need to neutralize the initial push from Sporting and start defining their own flow of game, Benfica's wing play will be very important if they are to have any success, in the center of the midfield, marking will be tight, and space limited, it'll be up to Benfica's wingers to make the difference, with deep penetration and mismatches with Leo and Nelson joining the attack.


Although not a do or die game for Benfica, Benfica should still want to win this game as much as Sporting, as 3 points over one of their direct competitors is an important lead with 9 games remaining in the Bwin.



In the first round it was like this:

click on the picture to enlarge (source:zerozero.pt)

How i saw it

Highlights

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A Meaningless Derby?

Benfica will visit Sporting this Sunday in another Lisbon Derby. Both teams are still mathematically alive in the title race, but with the way Porto has been playing, it'll be very hard for Benfica or Sporting to win the league title.
The win will also have no bearing on the current standings of both club's(although Sporting could jump to third, assuming Guimaraes will lose their game), no matter what the result is, Benfica will continue to be second as the gap beteen the two is 5.
With the title far from reach, the battle between these two is for 2nd place, a spot that will give direct entry into the Champions League. But it goes much deeper than that, Benfica vs Sporting, is the original rivalry in Portugal, and it'll continue to be no matter how these teams are doing. Uou can throw away all the stats, league standings, and current moments of form, the derby has its own feel and its own set of circumstances. It is like no other game in Portugal, the two Lisbon rivals, play for bragging rights, it is neighboor against neighboor, brother against brother, father against son. There are very few rivalries in the world like this one.
The games between Benfica and Sporting are never meaningless.


Full preview coming as soon as the game roster is announced.

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Happy 104th Birthday Benfica

Benfica celebrates their 104th birthday today.
Benfica's official website will be broadcasting their birthday Gala that will be taking place tonight at the Estoril Casino - you can follow the webcast from 8pm local time



Type rest of the post here

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Benfica 2 - Moreirense 0 - Into the final 4

I'll start by saying that i did not watch the game, I did follow it on the radio, when the radio wasn't either covering Porto's game or Sporting's game.

From what i read, and what i heard on the radio, was that Benfica played another game typical of what they have accustomed us to, in another words, nothing to write home about. Benfica did their obligation and advanced to the final four, which include, Porto, Sporting and Setubal. At this moment, Benfica is where it needs to be in this competition, and regardless of who the opponent is in the next round, Benfica needs to be in the final. Not only because of the club's magnitude and history, but also because, if the Bwin classification is an indication of Benfica's current situation, then Benfica is the second best team in Portugal, so a place in the final is really where Benfica needs to be.

In his preview of the game, Camacho had announced he would be making several changes to the line up, including giving Sepsi the start. This is the team that he fielded:

Butt in goal, Luis Felipe, Edcarlos, Zoro ans Sepsi in the back. In midfield it was Maxi and Bynia in the defensive midfield, while the supporting trio that supported Cardozo were DiMaria, Assis and Adu.

I wasn't really sure if Benfica was playing with one or two d-mids, at first i thought that Maxi was on the right and Adu supported Cardozo as the second forward, but that wasn't the case it was the all too familiar 4-2-3-1, whether you play against a good team or a team from Portugal's 3rd flight, One forward seems to be, in Camacho's opinion, Benfica's most effective tactical disposition.
Surprising start for Freddy Adu, in one of my exchanges with one of my readers on the topic of why was Freddy left out the game roster against Braga(he ended up being called and even playing) I wrote that i wouldn't be surprised if Freddy got significant minutes in this game, and even though a start was the option I was least confident with, i always thought it would be possible. Freddy got the start and from what i read, and heard, he played well enough that he stood out as one of the better Benfica players of the first half. Sepsi was also well but played a very safe game, bordering on "shyness". In the middle of the defense, both Edcarlos, and the returned Zoro had steady performances.
Benfica's midfield assumed control of the game and kept it, but the recurrent problem of lack of execution in the attack were once again on display. Despite DiMaria, Assis and Adu showing a great degree of mobility, exchanging positions quite often, Benfica couldn't really penetrate the Moreirense defense, that despite being a 3rd flight team, showed themselves well in defense and were able to keep Benfica away from their goal. Again the last third of the Benfica attack continues to lack solutions to create clear chances of goal. At half time Camacho sent Rui Costa and Makukula to warm up, a sign that they would be making their entrance soon. The second half started and Benfica seemed to start slightly worst than the first, which made Camacho make changes 10 minutes in. Not wanting to wait any longer to resolve the game, Camacho subbed in Rui Costa for Luis Felipe and Makukula for Adu. Maxi dropped into right back, while Rui Costa came into the middle, Makukula partnered up with Cardozo at Adu's expense.
Adu's substitution caught me by surprise, according to the radio, Freddy seemed to be one of the better Benfica players of the first half, and according to what I have read, Freddy was the one who was making through passes into the back of the defense and seemed to be the most offensive player of the midfield trio. Freddy was even part of a controversial play, in which he was fouled inside thbe box, the ref gave Freddy a yellow for simulating and gave Moreirense a free kick on the edge of their box. I'm no ref, but if it's a "simulation" outside the box, why would you give the player a yellow? Aren't yellows given to a player who tries to simulate a penalty, isn't that the main criteria? Or do referees have carte blanche to give a player a yellow anytime he "throws" himself on the floor?( if there are any refs reading this, please help me out here)
Rui Costa and Makukula would end up making the difference. Rui Costa with the increase in gameplay he brought the team, which culminated in his goal, Benfica's first of the night, a play in which Assis wins the line and crosses to Cardozo who traps the ball with his chest to Rui Costa's volley.
Makukula would close off the scoreboard after a play in which him and the recently subbed in Mantorras combined.

It's frightening how much Benfica is Rui Costa dependent, with the Maestro's impending retirement, i'll be curious to see how they will solve this dependency issue.
I wish i could say a lot more about the game, but unfortunately, i didn't watch the game, and it wouldn't be fair to speculate and give opinions based on most of what i have read and heard on the radio and internet.

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Benfica - Moreirense - Adu To Start - Live Blogging

Comfirmed Starting 11:
Butt; Luís Filipe, Edcarlos, Zoro and Sepsi;
Binya Maxi Pereira
Di María Nuno Assis,
Cardozo and Freddy Adu


The match can only be heard on the radio the link is on my game preview post

First 15 minutes, Freddy Adu very active, with a couple shots and a few good combinations with DiMaria

3.05pm - Benfica, in control of the game, but unable to create clear dangerous chances

3.10pm - Benfica continues to pressure and trying their luck from mid range shots.

3.15pm - Adu - gets a yellow, for simulating the a foul inside the box, the ref changes his mind and calls the foul outside the box, clear foul.. controversy as to where the foul is commited, commentators call it a penalty.. ref calls it out of the box.

3.16pm - i can't confirm whether the ref took back the yellow or not, after all he did call the foul, so that should scratch the yellow he gave Freddy for simulating.

3.17pm - yellow remains, apparently because Freddy simulated the foul inside the box.. yet the ref still called the foul.. go figure.

3.21 - Porto just won their game and they are through along with Setubal into the Quarters -

3.21 - 36 minutes have been played in the first half, score remains tied, but with Benfica, in clear control of the game as they should.

3.23 - Benfica has controlled most of the half, but are unable to execute in the final third. According to the commentators, Adu the best Benfica player up until this time.

3.24 - Danger in front of the Moreirense goal, but the Moreirense defense clears it out, best play for Benfica. Adu is playing behind Cardozo, same position he played in the u-20 WC -

3.26 - Possibly not more than 5,000 people at estadio da luz.

3.30 - Half-time - According to the Commentators, Benfica is playing well, but is having a hard time penetrating the Moreirense defensive, as Moreirense is all in their half defending with all they can.

3.38 - Rui Costa and Makulula warming up.

3.45 - Start of the 2nd half, no changes for Benfica.

3.52 - Benfica continues to have most of the posession, but can't get the final push..

3.54 - Rui Costa and Makukula get set to come in.

3.55 - Makukula comes in for Freddy Adu

3.55 - Rui Costa in for Luis Felipe, Maxi will drop into the right defense slot, Benfica will now play with only one D-mid

4.01 - According to the commentators, both Adu and Luis Felipe were not playing bad, and while I can fully understand Luis Felipe's sub, I can't understand Freddy's, if that was the case.

4.03 - 18 minutes in the second half.

4.05 - According to the commentators, Benfica playing worst this half, than the first half.

4.08 - As time ticks down, Benfica see the pressure increase, and can't find solutions to go up on the scoreboard.

4.09 - GOAL - RUI COSTA!!!!

4.10 - Once again, Benfica, relies heavily on their oldest player, to lead them.
Nuno Assis, with a cross that Cardozo settled on the chest, for Rui Costa to put his final touch.

4.11 - Mantorras set to come in, most likely for Cardozo, in an effort to rest Cardozo ahead of this weekends clash with Sporting.

4.16 - Mantorras in for Cardozo

4.17 - Not too far from Estadio da Luz, Sporting is tied with Estrela at their own stadium . both Sporting and Benfica, are looking to grab the 2 last spots in the next round.

4.20 - 4.20 LOL - Moreirense now playing with 2 forwards..

4.21 - 36 minutes of the second half - roughly 10 minutes to play with added time.

4.24 - 10,000 and change at Estadio da luz

4.26 - Goal BENFICA - MAKUKULA - assisted by Mantorras.

4.32 - Final Whistle - Benfica are through to the semi-finals of the Portuguese.

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Benfica - Moreirense - Portuguese Cup Preview

This Wednesday Benfica plays Moreirense for a spot in the semi-finals of the Portuguese Cup. Moreirense is currently 8th in the Portuguese II Division(Portugal's 3rd flight), and should be a very accesible adversary for Benfica. Benfica on the other hand, will look to rest some players ahead of this weekend's clash with Sporting, and give the less used players some valuable playing time.

Camacho has called the following players:

Keepers: Butt and Moreira;
Defenders: Luís Filipe, Zoro, Nélson, Edcarlos and Sepsi;
Midfielders: Katsouranis, Rui Costa, Bynia, David Simão, Nuno Assis, Maxi Pereira and Di Maria;
Forwards: Cardozo, Mantorras, Adu and Makukula

Notable absences - Luisao, Quim, Leo and Petit. The first 2 will be given a rest, while Leo and Petit will try to recuperate from minor injuries that have been affecting them. Also in the injured list are: Rodriguez, David Luiz and Nuno Gomes, who will also not be available for this game. Making returns to the game roster are, Zoro and David Simao the junior.

Camacho will surely present many changes in the usual starting line up, but the doubt will remain as to what formation he will use, having gone back to the 4-2-3-1 this past weekend, Camacho should return to the 4-1-3-2, as Moreirense is a much weaker team, it makes sense to play with 2 forwards.

Taking this into consideration, here's the probable starting 11.

Butt will once again be in goal, as it is customary that he plays the Cup games ahead of any other keeper. In defense, Nelson should be on the right, while in the middle, Edcarlos will most likely partner with Katsouranis. On the left, Sepsi will make his starting debut. In the midfield, Bynia will take on the sole role of defensive midfielder while ahead of him we should see, DiMaria on the left, Maxi on the right and Assis in the middle. Up front, Cardozo will be supported by either Mantorras or Freddy Adu.
It would be the perfect situation for Freddy Adu, in a position that is not foreign to him, as that was the position he played in the U-20 WC. Freddy is very mobile and would be perfect to play right behind Cardozo. Camacho has already stated that neither Makukula, nor Rui Costa will be starting. So perhaps an opportunity here for Freddy.

Shouldn't be a very hard game for Benfica, who will need to assert themselves early and quickly. Despite not having a dominating home record, Benfica should beat Moreirense.
Close attention will be given to Sepsi, who gets his first start, after a couple games of coming in as a sub and having interesting performances in short minutes, the Romanian will be in the eyes of every Benfica fan as he will have a lot more time to demonstrate his quality.

As of right now the game doesn't look like it will be televised, not even to Portugal, so your best bet to catch the game will be on the radio.

radio link

http://www.rtp.pt/antena1/

click on the link "emissao online"

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Benfica 1 - Braga 1 - Home Woes Continue.

Benfica couldn't do more than come away with a tie against Braga this Sunday night. Benfica's home record is now 4 wins, 1 loss and 5 ties. For a team who is usually a dominant force at home, this stat can not be taken lightly. Looking further at this stat, Benfica has not won a game at home in the second half of the season for the Bwin. Last time Benfica won at home was back on 20th of December of last year, and
looking atthe teams below Benfica on the table, from 3rd place to 8th place, all have more wins at home than Benfica. With such poor productivity at home, one has to wonder how the team can't find a way to win column at home, especially when they are playing in front of the support of their fans, it should be considerably easier than playing away, but that is not the case for 07/08's Benfica.


Camacho started the following 11:
Quim, Nelson, Luisao, Katsouranis and Leo; Bynia and Petit; Rui costa, Dimaria and Assis supporting Cardozo.

It was back to the 4-2-3-1 for Camacho, and I have to wonder if it was a forced change. After the game, Camacho briefly spoke about Makukula not being in conditions to play this morning, as a result Freddy Adu was called last minute. Freddy was not on the game roster for this match, and spent the night at home away from Benfica's pre-game concentration.
In the midfield, the change was the inclusion of DiMaria, who relegated Maxi to the bench as he played on the left flank, with Assis occupying the right.

Benfica started well, and despite suffering a goal in the fourth minute, Benfica came out showing that they wanted to take control of the game. Benfica stringed passes together and both wingers gave Benfica's transition players different options. Braga's goal in the fourth minute, came from a save rebound which seemed to have caught Benfica's defense out of position, as the goal scorer was able to appear unmarked behind the defense to push the ball in.
Braga didn't do much else for the half, as Benfica was the clearly the team with all the initiative, Benfica's midfield controlled the game at that point, and for most of the half, but some erratic passes and forced balls, broke up Benfica's game flow. When that game flow worked, it was the final third play that lacked decisiveness and accuracy, Benfica could not make the final pass or put the final shot on a well placed through ball.
Benfica's goal came off a set play with Rui Costa finding Luisao just inside the penalty spot, the Brazilian did not give the keeper any chances, as he buried a strong header into the back of the net. It was clearly Benfica's best moment and Benfica seemed on their way to turning around the score, but wouldn't be able to, as the final third deficiencies continued to exist, as well as intermittent periods of good game flow and not so great periods of play, mostly caused by missed passes and lost balls in the midfield. Nonetheless, going into the locker room, Benfica had to feel that they could very well be capable of turning things around.

In the second half, Benfica once again came out with the initiative, while Braga limited themselves to defend and to target their wing men, in hopes they could create danger on the quick counter. More inconsistent game play from Benfica seemed to prevent Benfica to really put it into another gear and go ahead.
Camacho's first substitution came in the 66 minute when he subbed in Sepsi for Petit. Sepsi went to the left wing, moving DiMaria to the right while Assis was now the supporting man, behind Cardozo. From this point on Benfica's game became more objective and direct, but without consequence as the Braga defense closed itself very well, and gave the idea of playing for the tie.
In the 78th minute Camacho subbed in Mantorras for DiMaria, Mantorras joined Cardozo, as Assis returned to the right wing. Mantorras entrance didn't bring much of a change as the early inabilities to penetrate continued to affect Benfica and their desire to turn the scoreboard in their favor. Assis had the clearest chance of the half, when he found himself inside the box blasting a low shot, that found the legs of a Braga defender very close to the goal line.
Freddy Adu came in on the 84th minute and seemed to bring Benfica new hope, Freddy's freshness and quickness, caused a few mismatches and gave new hope to Benfica fans, Freddy was able to find himself in a good position to let one fly, but the Braga defense threw bodies at every shot. Benfica practically lived in Braga's midfield at this point, with Bynia defending and launching balls into the final third, Benfica seemed to suffocate Braga but cound not find that last touch, to put the ball in.

Individually:

Quim - 6 (a few moments of nervousness in the first half. couple incomplete saves).
Nelson - 7
Luisao - 8
Katsouranis - 7
Leo - 7
Binya -8 MOM
Petit - 6
Assis- 7
Rui Costa - 7
DiMaria - 6
Cardozo - 6

Sepsi - 6
Mantorras - 5
Adu - 6

A win in this game would have really helped the team. Performance wise, i thought the team played much better than their past 4-5 outings, although they still have quite a ways to go and for that they will need to be consistent.
Another 2 points lost to leaders Porto, who are now 12 clear at the top. Benfica's slip, was matched with Sporting's own slip, who lost to Setubal. Benfica will play Sporting in the next round, 5 points separate the 2 teams. Before Benfica plays Sporting this coming weekend, Benfica will have a Portuguese Cup match, a game in which Camacho will definitely make some changes to the line up, as he will look to rest some of the more used players ahead of the Sporting game.

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Benfica - Braga Preview

No time to relax for Benfica, after two days of rest, Benfica is back on the field for a tough match against Braga. Benfica comes off an important result in Germany, and looks to continue their favorable moment. Braga is also coming from a last thursday game, although the result wasn't as favorable to Braga, as they were eliminated from the Uefa Cup by Werder Bremen.
Braga is currently in 8th in the Portuguese Bwin. They have only won twice, when playing out of their stadium. They have the worst defense in the Bwin, and they lead the league in yellows. Benfica has not lost a game this year and their lossless streak goes back to the 15th of December of last year.




Game roster:

Keepers: Butt and Quim

Defenders:Luís Filipe, Luisão, Léo, Nelson, Sepsi and Edcarlos

Midfielders: Katsouranis, Rui Costa, Binya, Petit, Nuno Assis, Maxi Pereira and Di María

Forwards: Makukula, Mantorras and Cardozo

Notable absences - Adu, Rodriguez, Nuno Gomes and David Luiz. Freddy was left out by Camacho for technical options, it is the first time Freddy is left out since his game roster debut back in the 26th of September of last year. His first appearance, under Camacho came in a league cup game, against Estrela, His 2 goal performance against Estrela earned him his first Bwin call up, in a game against Sporting. Rodriguez, David Luiz and Nuno Gomes, continue to recover from their injuries, with Rodriguez being the one that will more likely to make a soon return.

Projected line up:
Quim in goal. In defense, I will be curious to see if Luis Felipe gets the start, Camacho might give him the start in an attempt to moralize the player, after his poor showing in Germany. Luisao, Katsouranis and Leo, will be the rest of the back four. Petit and Bynia will be in front of the defense, while the rest of the line up can go several different ways, my first doubt lies on 1 or 2 forwards, this choice will affect the way the midfield is set up. I think that Camacho will go with 2 forwards in Cardozo and Makukula. Which could mean that either Rui Costa or Assis will be left out, as Maxi will likely be in the midfield. Resting Rui Costa would not come as a surprise to me, Benfica played on Thursday, and Rui Costa might not be entirely recuperated, that choice will be made by Rui Costa himself.

Tough game for Benfica, Braga's exit of the Uefa Cup, has caused the northern club to direct all of their focus to the Bwin and a spot in next years uefa Cup. Despite having won only 2 games away from home, Braga will be coming to Estadio da Luz to win. Braga's Linz is currently the 2nd best scorer in the Bwin with 10 goals, 3 more than Cardozo and Makukula. Joao Pereira, the right back was waved by Benfica a couple seasons ago and has been having a a good year, he will be out to prove that he Benfica made a mistake.

Benfica will need to come out strong and score early, it'll be interesting to see how the two teams have recuperated from their games on thursday. Physical freshness as well as psychological state of mind will most likely be the more determining factors of this game. With the mental part most likely taking front stage in the form of motivation to win the game.

Last time the 2 teams met, back on the first round this is how it was:

This is how i saw it last time Benfica met Braga

Highlights


click on the image to zoom ( source - zerozero.pt)

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Rui Costa and Camacho discuss Adu and DIMaria

In this month's Benfica's members only magazine "A Mistica", both Rui Costa and Camacho offer praises to Freddy Adu and DiMaria.

Rui Costa claims that it has made him happy to see how some of the young players have evolved, particularly Freddy Adu and Angel DIMaria. Rui states that both youngsters have tremendous skill and energy, and that in the future they will be key players for Benfica and in European soccer.

Camacho also offers praise to the young pair, claiming that both youngsters have a bright future ahead of them, but right now they are still going through a learning and maturing process. "They both work hard and I have enjoyed their evolution as players, but I know that they are still missing something when it comes to team responsabilities, because Benfica is a club of a large dimension to have a 17 or an 18 year old as a central figure, they both have to "graduate" to the next level" states Camacho.
Camacho also pointed out that there is currently a talent base being set that can pay its dividends in a 3-4 year span.

There are many Benfica fans hoping that Freddy gets more playing time, myself included, but currently Freddy is going through a lengthy learning process that any player needs to go through.
Much like an apprenticeship, this period of growth is process that is necessary for a player to find their maturity and to flourish. There is no doubt in my mind that in due time, both Freddy and Angel will give a lot of joy to Benfica fans throughout the world, patience is required, as Rome wasn't built in a day.


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Publish Post

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Nurnberg 2 - Benfica 2 Into the final 16

Benfica is through to the round of 16 in the Uefa Cup with a 3-2 aggregate. The 2-2 scoreline is somewhat misleading, as Benfica benefited from a heavy dose of luck to get past the 16th place(!!!) side of the German Bundesliga. If you look at the picture above you can very easily apply the expression "a picture is worth a thousand words" to how Benfica made it through.


Benfica's starting 11

Quim in goal. Luis Felipe, Luisao, Edcarlos and Leo on defense. Petit and Katsouranis
in front of defense. Maxi, Rui Costa and Assis supported Makukula.

From the 20 players, 2 players did not suit up, as UEFA rules only allow 18, Moreira and Rodriguez were left out by Camacho. As for the starting 11, I have to question Camacho's choice in going with Makukula up front. In my preview i offered an explanation why Cardozo is a better option than Makukula for a game like this, but apparently, what makes sense to me and to many doesn't always make sense to Camacho. Cardozo plays a lot better with his feet and would have been the ideal player to play in a game like this, Makukula struggled to control the ball and to pass the ball in conditions to the oncoming midfielders.

Benfica started the game well, circulating the ball between their sectors and even being the more dominating team for the first 15 minutes. Benfica knew that Nurnberg was going to come out strong, but did well to hold the Germans at bay by keeping posession.
Half way through the first half the Germans seem to have sorted out the markings and appeared to want to take control of the game. Rui Costa, very closely watched could do very little in Benfica's transition, which had in Assis their ball carrying man. The defense had a few shaky moments but was able to keep the danger away from Quim's goal.
With the Germans marking tight in the midfield, Benfica resorted to the long ball once again, breaking any type of game thread they had up until that point. The Germans did assume control of the game for the rest of the half but were only able to create one clear chance of danger in front of the Benfica goal, with Charisteas putting the ball over Quim's goal. The best opportunity of the half for Benfica came from a Katsouranis low shot that passed very close to the post.

At half-time, Benfica was doing what they needed to do, but some of the difficulties they had in the last 15 minutes of the first half, could only spell trouble if they weren't to come out for the second half with a different mentality and an increase in playing performance.

"Lackadaisical" is probably the word that best describes how Benfica came out for the second half. Knowing that once again Nurnberg would come out strong, Benfica picked up right where they left off at the end of the half. Without the capability to control the game and its tempo, Benfica strugled against a Nurnberg side that came out of the locker room confident that they could overcome the 1 goal deficit. Much of that confidence coming from the lack of commanding play from Benfica.
Nurnberg "grew" in the game and would get the goal which tied the aggregate in the 58th minute. After a hesitation play from Benfica's defense, letting the ball, bounce in front of them, Charisteas found himself in Quim's face, and put away the easy goal. The goal didn't come as a surprise as Benfica's decrease in play justified the host's going ahead.
8 minutes later after an incredible miss by the defense and an even more incredible "gift" from Luis Felipe, Nurnberg scored their second goal to put themselves ahead on the aggregate, It was rock bottom for Benfica. After giving up the goal which tied the aggregate, Benfica now saw themselves down, and without arguments to overplay a ecstatic Nurnberg, with an equally ecstatic 40,000 behind them.
Camacho made a double substitution in the 70th minute, subbing in Cardozo and Sepsi for Edcarlos and Maxi, respectively. Cardozo joined the attack, while Sepsi went to the left wing. It wasn't too long before the two men that had just came in combined for a great chance. Sepsi made a subliminal pass to Cardozo, behind the defense, and Cardozo in front of the goalie missed Benfica's clearest opportunity up until that point.
With Cardozo on the field, Benfica became more dangerous, and looked for a goal with urgency. Sensing that urgency, Camacho subbed in DiMaria with Assis, in hopes DiMaria could provide a spark out on the wing. Cardozo would redeem himself in the 89th minute when he took advantage of a loose ball the Nurnberg defense couldn't clear and fired a bouncing volley into the far side of goal to put Benfica up on the aggregate. Lady luck smiled on Benfica, and with 2 minutes + added time, Benfica was back in control. Benfica would eventually put Nurnberg's hopes away when they scored their second goal, already in added time. Benfica took advantage of the all out attack by Nurnberg to create a 3-V-2 breakway that DiMaria finished by dribbling around the goal. It was the end of Nurnberg's dream and another breath of fresh air for Benfica, who were through to the round of 16.

Deservedly or not is another question. It's sad when Benfica has the difficulty they had against a team that is fighting relegation in the German Bundesliga. The lack of ambition to put away the game in the first leg, combined with an equally poor performance tonight, could have very well have dictated Benfica's elimination from the Uefa Cup. Instead, luck was on our side and put us through.

Camacho's choices puzzle me more and more, to the point that i question my own understanding of the game, but from talking and reading many fellow "Benfiquistas" i have realized that i haven't lost my mind and it's Camacho who is starting to "smell".
I have been a defender of his ever since he arrived, using the fact that he didn't set up the team, he didn't prepare the season, and the squad is full of players that perhaps he wouldn't have chosen. The other "excuse" i have used to give Camacho the benefit of the doubt is the unbalance that currently exists on the squad. But when he makes the decisions he makes it becomes harder and harder to defend him.
With tonight's win Camacho avoided a potential hostile situation, with Benfica supporters, who would have surely made an appearance upon the team's arrival in Lisbon, to show their displeasure.

Next are Spaniards Getafe, a team that is having a great domestic campaign in La Liga and that will be a much stronger side than Nurnberg.

foto Credits - Getty Images

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Nurnberg - Benfica - Uefa Cup 2nd Leg Preview

This thursday Benfica plays the second leg of the Uefa Cup against German side Nurnberg. Carrying the smallest of aggregates into the second leg, Benfica has a very difficult task against a Nurnberg team who will be going all out in order to turn around the aggregate into their favour. Nurnberg will be hoping that the crowd can be factor, and they hope they are able to do what they weren't able to do in Lisbon, score goals.
On the other hand, Benfica will be looking to advance to the next round of the Uefa Cup, but for that they will need to put on a much better performance than the one from one week ago. Despite winning the first leg, Benfica did not play well and left the Nurnberg men with the sensation that they could beat Benfica in their home pitch.

Camacho called the following players:

Keepers: Butt, Quim and Moreira
Defenders: Nélson, Luís Filipe, Luisão, Edcarlos, Léo and Sepsi
Midfielders: Katsouranis, Rui Costa, Rodriguez, Maxi Pereira, Petit, Adu, Nuno Assis and Di Maria
Forwards: Mantorras, Cardozo and Makukula

20 players in all, only 18 will be able to suit up. The inclusion of the third keeper was explained by Camacho as a precaution, and that this will be the norm going forward in European competition. Nelson, Petit and DiMaria return to the game roster, the first two from injury and DiMaria from a one game suspension.
Both Nelson and Petit trained without limitations this morning, when Benfica made their game pitch adaptation training session. While Petit will most likely start, there are still some doubts in regards to Nelson, that decision will be a game time decision. Freddy Adu, is 100% after coming out of this past sunday's game with a back injury, He has practice without limitations since monday.

There is no doubt in my mind that Camacho will return to the 4-2-3-1. This is a formation that will provide Benfica with more bodies in the midfield, and will allow Benfica to have a better chance of controlling that sector, which is crucial if Benfica wants to make it to the next round.

Projected line Up
Quim in goal. Luis Felipe(Nelson), Luisao, Katsouranis and Leo on the left. Maxi and Petit in front of the defense. Assis, Rui Costa and Rodriguez will support Cardozo up front. This was the line up that Camacho put together during this morning's pre-match walk through.
Camacho picked Cardozo over Makukula, as Cardozo is better with his feet, and Benfica will be trying to play the short game with supported attack. It would make no sense to use the long ball to get into the final third as posession can very well be the key to advancing. Also, with Assis on the right, Benfica has the personnel that can make the 4-2-3-1 work, as he is clearly a more attack minded player than Maxi and he combines well with Rui Costa. The problem will lie on Assis' tendency to come into the middle, leaving the right side unbalanced, it will be up to the right back to take over this gap.

A very tough game for Benfica, despite playing a team who is in the relegation zone of the Bundesliga, Benfica will have to contend with the the crowd. Nothing new, as they played well at Celtic Park and in the decisive Shakthar match in the Ukraine. The first 25 minutes are very crucial for Benfica, who will need to come out strong and shake off the initial pressure from Nurnberg, while they make adjustments to defend against the Nurnberg set up. The midfield will have to be sharp and be able to transition the ball into the attack with precision, in order to relieve the pressure from the defense. Rui Costa will be the center of the attention for the Nurnberg men, Rodriguez and Assis will have to shoulder some of the initiative and the offensive push.
Benfica needs to manage the game and take advantage of Nurnberg's all out attack, and hope they can find the mis-matches on the counter.

Advancing into the next round could do wonders for this team. Benfica is currently showing signs of lack of confidence as a team and will need to continue building momentum ahead of crucial matches against Braga and Sporting in the coming weeks.

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Naval 0 - Benfica 2 - Ugly but effective

Benfica defeated Naval, in another game where the result was really the most important thing. Playing without some of their key players, Benfica was able to come away with valuable 3 points to keep their distance between first place and also third place the same. The game also broke the negative streak that Benfica had against Naval, having never beaten Naval away for the Portuguese League in their previous meetings.

It wasn't the most attractive game, but an effective one for Benfica, nonetheless.

Camacho picked the following 11:

Quim in goal. Luis Felipe, Luisao, Katsouranis and Leo on the left. The returned Binya and Maxi were in front of the defense, while Assis and Rodriguez worked the flanks to help Cardozo and Makukula up front. A classic 4-4-2 if you will, but without a designated creative midfielder, as Camacho opted to leave Rui Costa on the bench ahead of this thursday's Uefa Cup match in Germany.
Also not being able to give their contribute to the team were Nuno Gomes, Petit, David Luiz and Nelson, all injured. DiMaria served a 1 game suspension for picking up his 5th yellow of the season.

With these many absences, the game took on a different importance, and with Rui Costa
watching from the bench, i was worried on how Benfica was going to find solutions to come away with the three points.

Not much to write about the first half, with the exception of Benfica's goal not much happened in the first half. Poor quality of play from both sides, with Benfica not being able to put together any type of game flow, much of it because of the lack of a player who assumes the reigns of the team. Benfica's goal comes from a Binya long throw. The Cameroonian international has become a threat with his very long throws into the box, and it wasn't the first time Benfica scored off one of his long throws. This time he found Cardozo who headed the ball back to Rodriguez, who took advantage of the keeper being out of the goal to put Benfica ahead, 19 minutes in. A very good start for Benfica, the goal took away some of the pressure Benfica had coming into the game and allowed the team to relax a little bit more. The rest of the half was marked by Benfica's insistence on the long ball looking for Cardozo and Makukula up front, without someone who could transition the game into the attack, the long ball was Benfica's favorite way to get into the attacking third, not the most effective way, as long balls are often 50/50 balls. It made more sense to manage the game by playing through short passes and controlling the tempo of the game, but without a "pivot" man in the midfield, Benfica resorted to the long ball, which was often easily defended by the Naval men and provided for a kind of amateurish level in play.

The second half didn't bring much change, with the best part of Benfica's game being their defensive game, with both Binya and Maxi putting in a great effort to "destroy" Naval's game. Camacho made his first substitution at the 72nd minute of the game, subbing Freddy Adu for Rodriguez, in an effort to refresh the position. Camacho used his second substitution to put Rui Costa into the game, in an effort to conserve possession of the ball and dictate tempo. With Rui Costa's entrance at the 85th minute, it was almost like a switch had been turned on, all of the sudden Benfica's game took on another quality, and it's almost surreal how in just one minute, Benfica's game can go from a complete uncoordinated 11 players just kicking the ball with no rhyme or reason, to playing that involves all of the team sectors in a coordinated orchestrated flow of play.
Freddy Adu had been the first to jump off the bench, but his minutes were cut short when he suffered a hit to his back that momentarily put him out of play. With Sepsi waiting to make his Benfica debut, Camacho changed his substitution choice, and chose Freddy to come out, Freddy seemed to be struggling on the sideline with his facial expressions mirroring the pain he was feeling. Sepsi came in the added time period, but still had time to assist Assis for Benfica's second goal. Rui Costa found Sepsi on a through ball, the Romanian took the ball to the end line where he back crossed to the penalty area, where Assis connected. Final whistle.

Individually

Quim - 6
Luis Felipe - 5
Luisao - 7
Katsouranis - 6
Binya - 7
Maxi - 6
Rodriguez - 7
Assis - 7
Makukula - 6
Cardozo - 6

Adu - 5
Rui Costa - 7
Sepsi - 6

An important win, taking into consideration the absence of key players such as Petit, Nelson and David Luiz. The win allows Benfica to carry momentum into the Uefa Cup, this Thursday, a game that is very important for Benfica.

Benfica's dependency on Rui Costa is alarming, to say the least, God forbid the Maestro suffers an injury that keeps him out of action. Finding a replacement will be hard, and if Benfica spent 9mm on Cardozo, they better get ready to spend more than that on a #10.

As of this morning(Monday)

Freddy Adu seems recuperated and trained with the rest of his team mates this morning. Petit and Nelson also trained with the rest of the squad, while David Luiz did gym work. Nuno Gomes did light jogging around the field.

highlights

Picture # Francisco Leong - getty

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Naval - Benfica Preview

It's back to the domestic fight for Benfica this Sunday, with a match away against Naval. Naval is currently 12th in the Bwin with a record of 5 wins, 9 losses and 4 ties. Their home record is 2 wins, 2 losses, and 4 ties. They are the third worst defense of the Bwin with 27 goals suffered. In the first round, Benfica beat Naval in a convincing fashion by the score of 3-0, in what it was probably one of the better performances of the season so far.

For the game against Naval Camacho has called the following players:

Keepers:Butt and Quim
Defenders: Luís Filipe, Luisão, Léo, Zoro, Edcarlos and Sepsi
Midfielders: Katsouranis, Rui Costa, Cristian Rodriguez, Binya, Nuno Assis, Maxi Pereira, Freddy Adu and David Simão
Forwards: Cardozo, Mantorras and Makukula

Absent from the game roster are David Luiz, Nelson and Petit. David Luiz is still recovering from an earlier ankle sprain. The Brazilian spoke to Benfica's physio and he expressed lack of confidence in his ankle's full recovery, so Camacho has opted to leave him out. Di Maria serves a one game suspension after picking up his 5th yellow.
Nelson got hurt in the game against Nurnberg and had to get stitches after the game on his foot. Petit continues to struggle with injury and is not 100% for the match.
Returning to the game roster are the 2 CAN 08 players, Zoro and Binya. Maxi also returns from his myalgia. Camacho called up was junior David Simao as the 19th player. Katsouranis had some complaints from an injury suffered against Nurnberg and he is going to be a game time decision, the Junior was called as a precaution.

Projected line up - Quim in goal, Luis Felipe, Luisao, Edcarlos and Leo. Binya will make his return to the starting line up as one of the defensive midfielders. Question remains on whether Camacho will sacrifice another d-mid to play with two forwards or if he will play 2 d-mids with Katsouranis or Maxi( in case Katsou can't go).
In either case, the usage of either player might be a risky move, as both players seem to not be 100%.
Rui Costa will be in the middle, while on the flanks, Rodriguez and Assis will most likely be the starters, but that will all depend on Maxi, and whether or not he plays and where.
Up Front, Makukula will get the start while Cardozo seems likely to be relegated to the bench if Camacho goes to the 4-2-3-1. Camacho will have to consider a few things when setting up the team, one of them being the fact that the team played this past Thursday and has another match mid-week, Camacho will try his best to manage the team, perhaps a good opportunity to give more minutes to Adu.

Camacho's pre-game talk will most likely involve a "put the game away early" message, as the game will not only be more manageable when Benfica goes ahead early, but it will also serve to rest some players ahead of next week's Uefa Cup match.

It's not a very hard game for Benfica on paper, and Benfica has done very well playing away, but with Benfica's current form and lack of confidence, anything can be expected. Let's hope the team comes out strong and puts away the early.

Oh yeah, more minutes for Adu please.


Last round it was like this:
Click on the thumbnail to make it big - Source - zerozero.pt

Highlights

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Benfica 1 - Nurnberg 0 - Makukula's First

Benfica started their UEFA Cup Campaign with a win. A win that despite being a win, is a very tricky result for the second leg in Germany. The 1-0 aggregate seems like a very small advantage when you take into consideration that Benfica will have to play in Germany before a packed house, full of enthusiastic supporters. If the Nurnberg supporters, in attendance(5,000+) last night, were any indication of what Benfica will expect in Germany, then Benfica will be in for a long night, as the Nurnberg supporters will be behind their team, hoping to act like the 12th man and push Nurnberg to the next round. On the other hand, Benfica could have been a lot more ambitious and come out with a larger margin victory.


There's no doubt in my mind that Benfica is currently going through a less favorable period, in which the team can't seem to find an identity, and lives off individual efforts, as the team as a whole, lacks the confidence to take it to the next level.

Camacho opted for the following 11:

Quim in goal. Nelson, Luisao, Katsouranis and Leo in defense. Petit as the lone d-mid. Rui Costa, Assis and Rodriguez supporting Cardozo and Makukula.

A new look from Camacho for yesterday's game. He dropped Katsoranis into the center of the defense, to serve as a central defender while also using his flexibility to join the midfield, leaving the team with 3 defenders in the back. Both David Luiz and Edcarlos were on the bench, which just goes to prove Camacho's intentions of using Katsouranis, both in defense and midfield.
Up front Camacho went with Cardozo and Makukula for the first time from the start.

Benfica started the game a bit nervous and cautious, and soon, it was Nurnberg who tried to take control of the game, by winning the midfield battle. With Petit showing signs that he still isn't 100%, Nurnberg's midfielders were able to take control of the midfield, while Benfica struggled to take control of the game allowing Nurnberg to assume control of the game, despite the visitors only playing with the giant Kholer up front.
In the attack, Benfica continues to find difficulty in connecting the different sectors with flow of play. Presently, Benfica depends a lot on Rui Costa's transition game and what he does when he carries the ball into the attack. It was from one of those incursions that Benfica scored their lone goal. At the 43rd minute, Rui Costa went on a dribble, attracting the attention of the Nurnberg men which in turn opened up a passing lane to Makukula who was able to sneak past the defense and fire a shot which hit the ground and fooled the goalkeeper, who could have done a lot better. It was the first Benfica shot on target and only one of the half, which summarizes the lack of dangerous situations for Benfica. In defense, both Quim and Luisao, were impecable, the first one with a couple of goal saving saves, Luisao for the job he did on Kholer. Benfica couldn't have asked for a better result, up by 1 at the half and knowing that they didn't play their best and that the goal had been a gift from the heavens or from Nurnberg's keeper Blazek. - you pick.

In the second half, Benfica seemed a bit more comfortable and played a little better, touching the ball around and coming closer to Nurnberg's goal, but with no clear chances of goal. Camacho subbed DiMaria for Cardozo, and moved Assis into the 9 slot, in hopes of controlling the midfield. The move resulted, and Benfica was now more consistent in midfield, with Petit, Rui Costa and Assis combining well to maintain posession and at the same time control of the midfield. Nurnberg, didn't show much, with the exception of a few isolated plays, in which Quim responded well.
At the 85th minute mark, Camacho made a double subtitution, David Luiz and Freddy Adu came into the game for Rodriguez and Assis respectively. A change that served to refresh the sectors, but one can argue that it could have been done earlier, as Benfica's midfield was running out of gas.

Benfica comes away with the win and showed difficulties in penetrating the German's well organized defense. In Germany, Nurnberg will show a different look as they will need to come out and try to turn around the result, this will undoubtedely play into Benfica's game which will most likely be back to the 4-2-3-1.

A few words before i finish, Benfica NEEDS to play a lot better if they have aspirations of going far in the Uefa Cup. Even though they were able to come away with the win, Benfica was playing against a team that is currently in the relegation zone of the Bundesliga, as has the obligation to win, and win convincingly, 2 shots on goal during the whole game, and probably 6 all together. The team continues to show apathy and a lack of confidence that should have been overcome a long time ago. I also have to think that the team should have fought harder for the 2nd goal, but seemed comformed with the little lead they had. It'll not be easy in Germany and i'm not so sure that Benfica can advance to the next round if they play the same way.

highlights

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Benfica - Nurnberg UEFA Cup Preview

Benfica gets their European campaign underway, this thursday, with a home game against Germany's Nurnberg. Having failed to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League, Benfica gets another chance in Europe by means of the Uefa Cup.
In the first round Benfica was matched up with Nurnberg. Nurnberg is currently 16th in the German Bundesliga, with a record of 4 wins, 11 losses and 4 ties,having only won 1 game away from their home pitch.

Perhaps that explains the recent sacking of their coach, Hans Meyer. Thomas Von Heese was just announced has the Nurnberg's new coach. Meyer's sacking comes as a surprise to many, as he was the one that recommended the new winter signings. The most notable winter signing for Nurnberg was Kohler, the Chech Republic giant. Kohler was signed from Monaco in hopes that he could save the team from relegation.
Another familiar face on the Nurnberg team is Greece's Charisteas, if you remember, Charisteas scored the winning goal against Portugal in the final of Euro 04. Last time Benfica played Nurnberg was in 61/62, where Benfica won with a 7-3 aggregate, Benfica would go on to become European Champion that year.

Nurnberg qualified for the next round of the Uefa Cup by placing second in group A, right behind group winners Everton, they haven't lost in their last 3 away games in European competition compiling a win and 2 ties in the group stage.
They will look to continue that streak, and hope to come away from Lisbon with a close enough result to be able to win on aggregate when they finish the round in Germany.

Benfica comes into the Uefa Cup with hopes of going far, and of achieving a secondary objective in Europe. Benfica reaches the Uefa Cup after placing third in the Champions League group stages, losing out to Celtic and group winners Milan, but finishing ahead of Shakhtar, with a very important win in a frigid Ukraine that saw them edge out Shakhtar for third place.

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

Keepers: Butt, Quim
Defenders: David Luiz, Luís Filipe, Luisão, Nelson, Edcarlos, Léo, Sepsi
Midfielders: Katsouranis, Rui Costa, Petit, Nuno Assis
Forwards: Rodríguez, Mantorras, Di Maria, Adu, Cardozo and Makukula

Maxi did not make the roster as he currently suffers from myalgia. Petit is back as he seems to have recuperated from his injury, he has trained without limitations during yesterday's and today's training sessions.

It's hard to say how Camacho will set up the team, the 4-2-3-1 is his preferred system, but playing with 2 forwards would make sense being that the Nurnberg defense is tall and physical. Nonetheless he will most likely go with 2 d-mids to have numbers in the midfield, which would usually mean one forward, unless he opts for some kind of a dynamic 4 man midfield, which is possible but unlikely.
Camacho has also said that Petit is a starting 11 choice, but his start will depend on how he feels during the pre-game warm up.

Here's the most likely starting 11:

Quim in goal. Nelson, Luisao, David Luiz and Leo on the left. Petit and Katsouranis in front of the back four. Rui Costa , Rodriguez and Assis on the right. There is a strong possibility that DiMaria will start on the right, as he is more of a winger than Assis, but Assis oftens drifts to the middle something that will create mismatches in the attacking third.
Up front it'll be another toss up between Makukula and Cardozo. It'll all depend on the game plan that Camacho draws up. With the Nurnberg Central defenders being around the 6'2" mark, it would make sense to keep the ball on the ground, in the envent that Benfica plays with one forward. The choice would fall on Cardozo, has he has a better feet game than Makukula, if the decision is to go high, in the way of crosses looking for a head, the choice would fall on Makukula, who has a better aerial game than Cardozo. In my opinion, going high might seem the wrong choice because of the height of the 2 central defenders, especially if there is only one forward.
In any event, it is probable that both Makukula and Cardozo will be on the field together at some point. Other choices off the bench will be DiMaria if he doesn't start and Adu, as Freddy can provide another option on the wing.


Look for Benfica to come out playing behind the support of the fans, who should be considerably more than the 10,000+ that showed up for this weekend's Portuguese Cup game. Benfica needs to try to get a positive result, or even sway the aggregate towards them in a favorable away. No team wants to go play away with everything still to decide. Benfica's main objective will be to win by more than 1 goal and not let Nurnberg score any goals, as away goals will usually count as 2 towards a tied aggregate. On the other side Nurnberg will be trying to pull off at least a tie, and with a new coach at the helm, we will most likely see a motivated Nurnberg, with the players wanting to make a good impression on the new coach.

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Portuguese Cup Quarter Final Drawing

The Portuguese Cup drawings continues to give Benfica favorable match ups. Not that Benfica fears to play anyone, as they will need to beat any team that cross their path if they are to hoist the trophy, but easier games can help the team build momentum going into the later rounds.
This time Benfica will play home against Moreirense. Moreirense is currently 9th in Portugal's 3rd flight division(2nd division B). Moreirense was once a part of Portugal's top flight(2004/05 season), but they have since gone into a downward spiral, being relegated to the Honor Division(now Vitalis), and then to the Second Division B in 05/06, where they have remained. Moreirense is the only team still alive from Portugal's lowest divisions.

Here are the other Match Ups:

F.C. Porto-Gil Vicente
Sporting-E. Amadora
Naval-V. Setúbal

Both Sporting and Porto were also drawn to play at home.

END

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Benfica 4 - P. Ferreira - 1 - Through to the Quarters

I'll start by saying, that i did not watch the game, and that i followed the game through the radio. My game review will be loosely based on what i heard on the radio, and what i have read on online papers and blogs.

Benfica is through to the quarter finals of the Portuguese Cup, a competition that is a very realistic goal for Benfica this season. Beating Pacos de Ferreira by the score of 4-1, the score was really the most impressive thing this Sunday, as Benfica's game continues to suffer from intermittent periods of good play, combined with periods of not so good play to say the least.

Camacho fielded the following players:
Butt in goal; Nelson, Luisao, Edcarlos and Leo, from right to left. In midfield, Katsouranis and Maxi played in front of the defense, while Rodriguez, Rui Costa and Assis, formed the attacking midfield that supported Makukula.

The game had barely started and Benfica saw themselves down on the scoreboard. After some amateurish play by Edcarlos and a second miss by Nelson, Pedrinha would put the visitors ahead on the scoreboard, 2 minutes had gone by. Another slow start, combined with a lack of concentration put Benfica down a goal, the good thing was that there was still 88 minutes to play, and the goal, despite having the usual negative effect, it served has an incentive for the team, who saw themselves down and needing to get back in the game. Benfica did settle down after the 20th minute,and started to control the game, with Rui Costa at the helm, leading the team into the attack, up front Makukula, experienced what Cardozo has been experiencing, loneliness, that takes place every time Benfica decides to play in the 4-2-3-1.
Camacho didn't take long to make the first change, sensing that Benfica was having difficulties in their transition game and couldn't find space to penetrate, Camacho subbed in Cardozo at the 33rd minute mark, for the underachieving Edcarlos, backing up Katsouranis into the defense, while Rui Costa dropped back into the center mid position. Cardozo's entrance didn't only provide Benfica with another target in the box, but it also kept the P. Ferreira defense at bay, which now had to deal with defending 2 forwards. It wouldn't be too long before the difference was felt, and Benfica's dominance came up. Benfica would obtain the equalizer from a Cardozo p.k. that penalized a foul on Rodriguez, inside the box, 40 minutes had gone by, 7 after Cardozo's entrance. Benfica didn't play all that well for the most part of the half, but the last 15 minutes of the half, justified going into the locker room with the score tied.

In the second half, Benfica continued their dominance, while P. Ferreira resorted to playing on the quick counter in hopes they could surprise Benfica. "7" seemed to be the magic number as Cardozo(#7) put Benfica ahead 7 minutes into the half, in another p.k. (if you're keeping score at home - Cardozo scored 7 minutes, after coming on, 7 minutes into the second half, and he wears number 7) this time it was a foul on Makukula, who was pulled down in the box, by the same player who had fouled Rodriguez in the first p.k., this last foul earned the P. Ferreira his second yellow, and subsequent ejection. Benfica was now up on on the scoreboard and benefited from numerical advantage, suddenly the mood of the unusual small crowd(15 thousand and change) present at Estadio da Luz changed, and the fans could now breathe a little easier. Despite the numerical advantage, Benfica didn't dominate as much as they were expected, and kept P.Ferreira in the game by not going for the jugular, still, Benfica created opportunities but always missed that very last piece to put it away. Rui Costa, who had another game for the ages, would eventually put the score out of reach at the 78th minute when he put away an initial shot by Assis, it was the "nail in the coffin" and the goal that put the crowd at ease. Camacho subbed DiMaria for Makukula in the 86th minute. Makukula did not play bad for his first time out, and showed some promise when he paired up with Cardozo, despite being two players with similar physical attributes and similar positioning, they can be distinguished by "head and foot", as Cardozo is much better with the feet, and Makukula is much better in the air, so there is a complementing effect. Rui Costa was subbed right at the 90th minute mark, but not before he offered Assis Benfica's 4th goal, another tremendous play by the maestro. David Luiz came in for Rui Costa who was greeted with a standing ovation from the crowd. The game would end with the scoreboard at 4-1, a scoreline that is somewhat misleading, as Benfica was not as dominat as the scoreboard shows, but dominant enough for at least a 3-1 score line.

An important win that permits Benfica to go ahead in the Portuguese cup, not a very good performance, but a win that lifts up the morale of the team after being under pressure from last week's poor performance. Tuesday brings the drawing for the next round of the Portuguese Cup, and Thursday Benfica starts their Uefa Cup campaign, and what a better way to start the Uefa campaign than with a win?

I am not able to give the usual individual appreciation, as i didn't watch the game, but i'll leave a few words.
Rui Costa, man of the match, it's a shame that this will be his last year, and that Benfica won't be able to send off the Maestro with a league title, hopefully he won't go empty handed. Lastly, I'd like to talk about Edcarlos, who has been given opportunities by Camacho, but can't seem to grab them, tonight he had a disastrous performance, and can't seem to be able to assert himself, I know that it takes time to adapt, as Luisao had a similar phase, but he can't keep on wasting these opportunities. I'd leave a line in regards to Freddy Adu and his absence from games as of late, but i'll leave that one alone. I often exchange thoughts with many readers about Adu, my only hope is that he is being handled correctly and that he hangs in there and waits for his time.

Highlights

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Benfica - P.Ferreira - Live Commentary

The game will not be televised, and as of right now the availability of any stream is still unknown
I will be doing Live Commentary here - check back around 3.15pm(est) for that commentary.
End

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Benfica - P. Ferreira Preview

This Sunday, Benfica plays another round of the Portuguese Cup. The game is against P.Ferreira, another team from the Bwin, who is currently next to last in the table. But you can throw that out the window, as the Portuguese cup is often a different competition than the Bwin. For some teams, the Portuguese Cup is often a competition that is taken seriously, as there is a better chance of being Cup winners than League winners per say.

Benfica comes into this game from a bad result and performance against Nacional, they will try to rebound and obtain a good result, as the Portuguese Cup is currently one of the team's remaining objectives.

Game Roster:
Keepers: Butt and Moreira

Defenders:David Luiz, Luís Filipe, Luisão, Nelson, Edcarlos, Léo and Sepsi

Midfielders:Katsouranis, Rui Costa, Maxi Pereira, Cristian Rodríguez, Di Maria and Nuno Assis;

Forwards:Mantorras, Adu, Cardozo and Makukula.


Petit and Nuno Gomes, both hurt, did not make the list. Petit came back from international duty hurt, and Nuno Gomes is out for a minimum of 3 weeks as a result of an injury suffered during the game against Nacional, this past weekend. Also absent is Quim, who will give his place to a less used keeper.
David Luiz returns, fully recuperated. Rui Costa returns from serving a 1 game suspension, and Makukula makes his game Roster debut.

Projected line up:

Moreira in goal. In the back, Nelson, Edcarlos, David Luiz and Leo, from right to left. Katsouranis, Rui Costa, Maxi and Rodriguez will most likely be in the midfield, their positioning will depend on the tactical formation. Up front, Makukula will start, the doubt rests on who will support him if Camacho goes with the 4-4-2 - Mantorras is a serious candidate, as well as DiMaria. If he uses the preferred 4-2-3-1, We will see Maxi drop into d-mid while either Assis or DiMaria will play on the right wing, Freddy Adu should also get significant playing time, although, I highly doubt he will get the start.
Butt played poorly in the last cup game, i wouldn't be surprised if Moreira got the start. In defense, i think Camacho will sit Luisao, as he played this past Wednesday for Brazil. Edcarlos hasn't been playing bad and David Luiz is fully recuperated they will most likely be in the center of defense. The other factor to be considered is the fact that the South American players, and Adu, had long flights back and only got back to training yesterday with the exception of DiMaria, who landed in Portugal last night. How this affects the line up remains to be seen, Cardozo has already been given the rest, as Makukula is the alternative and the Uefa Cup is right around the corner.

If the week on, week off, performance tendency is anything of an indicator, we will see Benfica play well and win convincingly. But that remains to be seen, as most of the players in the starting 11 were involved in matches midweek and fatigue can definitely be a factor. In any case, Benfica needs to come out strong and put this game away quick.

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What I See from Here

With enough time elapsed from the beginning of the season, anyone can make realistic conclusions about the 07/08 Benfica team. A team that has yet to give their fans any type of confidence in achieving any of the objectives that were planned out back in the beginning of June of last year - 2nd round of the Champions League(minimum), Portuguese League, Portuguese Cup.
Champions League, failed. Portuguese League, still mathematically possible, but logically impossible. The Portuguese Cup and the Champions League consolation a.k.a. Uefa Cup are the only competitions in which Benfica is realistically alive, But how Alive?

Truth is that this Benfica team has shown us the bipolarity of their abilities. On any given weekend, Benfica can beat any team in the Bwin, but they can also lose points to a team that has no business to even play on the same level of Benfica. That has been the story this year, inconsistency. We're well into the season, past the half the half way mark, for that matter, and we have yet to see the team play as a unit with unique gameplay.

The squad has had it's deficiencies from the beginning of the season - unbalanced, lacking depth. Shortcomings that could not be solved despite the "truckload" of players that were brought in, which have amounted to nothing. Even in this January's transfer window, Benfica was unable to balance the team. Yes a left back was needed, as we really only had one, and yes a forward was needed, but with the same characteristics as Cardozo? That logic is beyond my reach.

What happened to the right winger we so desperately need? And the supporting forward that could strengthen the attack? Then again if you play in a 4-2-3-1, why would would a supporting forward be a priority? Camacho vows that both Cardozo and Makukula can play together, LOL - more unbalance on the way, as if the lack of winger characteristics in Maxi wasn't enough to unbalance the preferred 4-2-3-1. Laughable to say the least.

As for Camacho, i have been a supporter of his, much because of his first time around with the club, but this Camacho looks like he has been hit with the Senile stick. For one, his body language and his behavior on the bench is nothing like the Camacho that we first saw 2-3 years ago. It's almost as if he is conformed with the team and the ability of his players. There's an angle i consider quiet often, and that is the fact that Camacho pretty much inherited this team, and i give him that benefit of the doubt, but tactically he has been a total disaster, with absurd substitutions, bad game reads, and an authentic mix and match moving around of players on the field (e.g. last game). Not to mention the fact that he might be well on the way to "burning" Freddy Adu. Even so, i am against his sacking, why? because a coach needs time to build a team to his image, and only continuity can bring that.

I think most of the blame for this season's sub-par campaign goes to Luis Felipe Vieira. First, for not having put a football operations director between him and the team(a position that was occupied by Veiga) and second, for the disastrous planning for this season. LFV might have done a lot for the club, when it comes to finances and the creation of infrastructures, but his affinity to run the football operations is non-existant, and the team greatly suffers because of it.

I don't even have to go that far to find examples in which the Club's directive is lacking, look at the Leo and Rodriguez case. Both players undeniable starters and part of the core of crucial players. Leo's contract renewal has dragged for almost a year now. Leo is, in my opinion, the best left back Benfica has had in the past decade. Why hasn't the club renewed his contract? There were rumours of high demands by Leo, but don't tell me that there isn't any room for negotiation, Leo still has a good 2 years in him, one year as a starter, and one year as a transition/mentor for a young player. I can't believe how this situation has turned out, and Benfica's inability to sit with the player and work something out, will most likely result in Leo leaving, which is what it looks like right now.

Rodriguez is another case of poor managing, when Rodriguez came to Benfica, the first couple months Benfica could have very well have signed the player, there was talk about it, he gave everyone proof that he is a worthy investment, today not only are Rodriguez's demands higher,as a result of his performances, but he also has several other clubs interested in his services, including Porto! Are we taking a nap?

On a more positive note, Benfica's youth teams are the dominating teams in each of their divisions, and there's no question that Benfica is putting together a tremendous feeder system that will bear its fruits in the mid to long range future. But until then Benfica is Benfica and it's prestige needs to be kept.

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Benfica's Internationals

Midweek was for many a date of National team duty, several Benfica players were called up by their countries to represent, here's how they did.

Adu
USA-Mexico - 2-2 (Houston - Texas)
Minutes - 27 - sub in @ 60' for Clint Sempsey

Cardozo
Honduras - Paraguay - 2-2 (Honduras)
Minutes - 64' - subbed out for Zeballos

Maxi & Rodriguez
Uruguay - Colombia - 2-2 (Montevideo, Uruguay)
Minutes(Maxi) - 90' ( at right back)
Minutes(Rodriguez) - 45' - sub in @ half time for Diego Perez

DiMaria
Argentina - Guatemala - 5-0 (Los Angeles, California)
Minutes - 4' came on the 86th minute for Escudero

Katsouranis
Greece - Finland - 2-1 (Cyprus)
Minutes - 90
Winning Goal on the 72th minute


Petit, Quim and Makukula
Italy - Portugal - 3-1 (Zürich, Switzerland)
Minutes (Petit)- 45, subbed out at half time for Meira
Minutes (Quim) - 0
Minutes (Makukula)- 57 minutes - subbed out for Hugo Almeida


Luisao
Ireland-Brazil - 0-1 (Dublin)
Minutes - 90

At the CAN 08

Binya's Cameroon has reached the finals where they will play defending champs, Egypt.
Binya came in late in the second half in the semifinal match against host country Ghana.

Zoro's Ivory Coast was eliminated today by defending champs Egypt.




End

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Benfica 0 - Nacional 0 - Stuttering Along

My apologies for the somewhat delayed review of the game, as I was out of town with limited access to a computer.

Here it goes:

Benfica's home woes continue. This past Saturday it was another home tie and another 2 point loss to leaders Porto, the difference is now 10. After cutting down the point deficit to Porto, on the weekend before last, Benfica see themselves giving back 2 of the 3 points they had gained as a result of Benfica's 4th tie of the season at home. This time the tie was at the hands of Nacional, after having beaten Nacional convincingly in the first round, Benfica allowed the 9th place side to come to Estadio da Luz and get the tie.


Camacho fielded the following 11:

Quim, Luis Felipe, Luisao. Edcarlos and Nelson. Petit, Katsouranis, DiMaria and Maxi. Nuno Gomes and Cardozo

Apparently neither Leo nor Rodriguez deserved Camacho's confidence to go the full 90 so they did not start, however, they were part of the positive change that took place in the second half. The back four continue to suffer from the lack of balance in the outside sectors, with Luis Felipe continuing prove time and time again why he has no place in the starting 11(and maybe not even on the squad), and Nelson not playing to his full potential as he continues to play out of position on the left. Luisao has seen better days and Edcarlos continues to adapt to the style of football played in Portugal, even so the latter one seemed clearly the best of the four.

In midfield, Petit continues to be going through a rough spell, much of it because of all the injuries he has had this season. While in the beggining of the season, we saw Petit at an admirable level, these days we see Petit a few notches below from what he has accustomed us to. Katsouranis is also far from what we know he can do and his sub par game was probably because of Rui Costa's absence, as he seemed lost. Perhaps as a result of a different mission Camacho might have given him. Maxi continues to be an average player, with average performances. While he might be someone who plays simple and his pass percentage might be one of the highest ones of the team, offensively he is like a faulty switch - on a good day on, on the rest of the days defective. On the other side, it's been great to see DiMaria evolving, while his game still needs a lot of work, he is appearing more and more as an influential character in this sad story of a season. Quick on the transition game, opting for a quick give and go, and also on his one-on-one game. Off course that, not every dribble, every step over or every change of speed is going to allow him to beat his opponent, but you have to admire his courage and confidence that allows his decision to have a go without hesitation. Up front, Nuno Gomes was a complete nulity while Cardozo seems to be less and less effective when he doesn't have someone who can play behind him.

On to the game

I think all of Estadio da Luz expected the same start of game as the one against Guimaraes - dominating, pressuring and a "take the game to them" posture, but what you really got was a team lost a team without offensive solutions. The absence of Rui Costa was visible as there wasn't really anyone that orchestrated Benfica's offensive game. Despite many of the offensive lack of solutions not being entirely new, the absence of a leader and of someone who assumes control of the game accented those deficiencies. That was the story for most of the first half, lack of flow of play, lack of a someone who links team sectors and also passiveness towards the opposition.

Nacional came out wanting to play their game and did just that, much because Benfica allowed it. Benfica's lack of pressure allowed the Nacional men to combine amongst themselves and a have a few freebies at Quim's goal. Benfica's only significant chance came right at the end of the half, when DiMaria combined well with Katsouranis to free himself for a clear breakaway that Nacional's keeper instinctively saved with his right foot. Benfica didn't do much else the first half, and was forced to make the second forced substitution, in as many weeks right before half time, this time it was Nuno Gomes who had to come out due to an injury. Rodriguez would come in for Nuno Gomes right before the first half whistle.

The second half brought a slightly better Benfica, showing more of a desire to win the game. Camacho, who had placed Rodriguez in the 10 slot, made an adjustment 5 minutes into the half, switching DIMaria and Rodriguez, a change that defined a more attacking left wing and allowed the young Argentinian more freedom to roam and create. Still, Benfica's lack of speed and organized combination play did not cause much danger to Nacional's defense. Benfica's opportunities would present themselves when the team increased play speed and when both DiMaria and Rodriguez tried to solicit Cardozo in the heart of the box. Camacho substituted Leo for Nelson at the 68min mark, in a moved to turn the left side into the more dangerous attacking point for Benfica, as Leo will often cause mismatches with his offensive runs.
While the move to trade defenders while you need a win, might have had many scratching their heads, the fact that it was Nelson coming out and not Luis Felipe was even more baffling to me.

Camacho once again adjusted the team, moving Maxi inside toward Petit, pushing up Katsouranis, while sliding DiMaria to the right wing. Benfica was clearly more offensive in the second half but lacked arguments to go ahead, and their only real dangerous chances came from a line drive shot from Maxi that the Nacional keeper save to corner and another close range shot from Cardozo, which was blocked by a defenders body.
Mantorras made his way onto the the game for DiMaria in another baffling substitution by Camacho. The Argentinian was being the most dangerous man for Benfica and seemed the least conformed player with the ways things were going, which led him to try (and often succeed) to create danger, time and time again. Mantorras did not bring much to Benfica's game, and i have to question Camacho's choices, not only because of him pulling DiMaria, but also because of him not opting for a more creative possession players in Adu or Assis. The way the game was, players with the ability to
carry the ball into the final third would have been a better choice, as the Nacional players were pretty much just playing in front of goal, Mantorras entrance only caused more congestion in the heart of the attack. Benfica lost 2 precious points in a game that ended with some of the fans questioning Camacho's work.

Individually:

Quim - 7
Luis Felipe - 5
Luisao - 6
Edcarlos - 6
Nelson - 5
Petit - 6
Katsouranis - 6
DiMaria - 8
Maxi-6
Nuno Gomes - 5
Cardozo - 6

Rodriguez - 7
Leo - 6
Mantorras - 5

MoM - DiMaria

Last note on the match - Was Cardozo forbidden to take free kicks? or were all of the free kicks indirect free kicks?


So, it is now becoming a routine - gain points, lose points, good performance, bad performance. While Porto has a very good team this year, much of their dominance and point lead is due to Benfica's inability to attain positive results.

Examine Benfica's point loss starting with the Belenenses game on 12/15

12/15- Away - Belenenses - Loss 1-0 - (-3) points
1/5 - Home - Setubal -Tie 1-1 - (-2)points
1/12- Home Leixoes - Tie 0-0 - (-2) points
2/2 - Home Nacional - tie 0-0 - (-2) points

If you add all the points lost you come up with 9. With Porto currently being 10 points ahead, you can see that the difference has been in the team's inability to compete.

Don't think that Makukula is going to be some type of savior, he is not. The squad continues to be unbalanced and Benfica's inability to acquire players to at least balance the squad can only give their fans little hope in achieving some of the goals that are still out there.

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