Benfica - Getafe - Preview

Benfica continues their European quest this Thursday when they host Getafe for the UEFA Cup. The match is part of the round of 16 and is Benfica's most challenging game in the competition yet. Getafe is currently 10th in Spain's La Liga, a position that holds merit, considering the competitiveness and the world class teams that compete in La Liga year in, year out. Getafe has amassed a domestic record of 9 wins, 6 draws and 11 losses. Their away record is 4 wins, 2 ties and 7 losses. Typical numbers of a middle of the table squad no doubt, but with wins against Barcelona, Real Madrid and Sevilla, Getafe proves to be a team that can win, no matter who their opponent is.

Getafe's European trajectory went through the group stages of the UEFA Cup, where they classified top of their group, ahead of Tottenham and Anderlecht. In the first round of elimination, Getafe dispatched Greece's AEK by an aggregate of 4-1.

A very tough game for Benfica, who, despite the drawing dictating that they play away in the first leg, negotiated with Getafe to play home first, what team wouldn't want to have their fans behind them, if advancing to the next round comes down to the final game? With the way Benfica has played home this season, and taking into consideration the decisive away wins, the logic becomes clearer. Who can forget the away game in the Ukraine to clinch the Uefa Cup berth, the top performance in Celtic Park? Or even more recently, the performance in Nurnberg, that brought Benfica to the exact spot they are in today.

Here's the list of players that were called to play the first leg of this thursday's UEFA Cup game against Getafe

Keepers: Quim and Butt;
Defenders: Luís Filipe, Nélson, Luisão, Edcarlos, Zoro, Léo and Sepsi;
Midfielders: Katsouranis, Rui Costa, David Simão, André Carvalhas, Nuno Assis, Cristian Rodriguez, Di Maria;
Forwards: Cardozo and Mantorras.

Notable absences are those of, Petit, Makukula, David Luiz, Nuno Gomes, and Maxi, all by injury. Freddy Adu will miss Benfica's next 4 games due to his National team duties, as the US prepares to qualify for the Olympic games. Binya serves his 5 of 6 game suspension. With this many players unavailable, Camacho called 2 juniors, David Simao, and Andre Carvalhas.

Not too much to work with for Camacho, where the doubts will once again lie on the 2 defensive midfielders that will start. With Petit, Maxi and Binya not being able to play,Katsouranis is the only defensive midfielder at Camacho's disposal. Katsouranis has also made a good tandem with Luisao in the center of the defense.
Being that there is no one else available to play defensive-mid it will most likely be Katsouranis in the midfield, as Edcarlos will most likely be in the center of the defense with Luisao. Perhaps not the best tandem, but it will have to do, as Zoro does not currently have enough minutes with Luisao to be a logical option.

Here's my projected line up:
Quim in goal. The back four will be, Nelson, Edcarlos and Leo, from right to left. Katsouranis will be the stay at home midfielder, while Rui Costa, Rodriguez, Assis and DiMaria as the 5th midfielder will round up the midfield sector, with possibly one of those players playing behind the center forward. Up front it will be Benfica's top scorer, Oscar Cardozo.
Benfica will play in a 4-1-3-2, or however you want to look at it.. Katso is the only d-mid.

The key to this game lies on not allowing any goals, whether it's a tie or a win, it is crucial that Benfica does not allow any goals, as away goals will prove to be costly and tie-breakers to the aggregate. Benfica will have to play a solid compact game, Getafe's most dangerous weapon is the quick counter, Benfica will not only need to mark tight, but they will also need to maintain a high percentage of completed passes. A wrong pass can very well turn dangerous, as the team might can be caught out of position, hence the reason why the team needs to progress up the field with a certain compactness. In order to do that, Benfica's midfield needs to work extremely hard providing support for the man with the ball. Rui Costa will once again be the target of special attention, Benfica will need to find other players who can transition the ball into the attack, and find the Maestro in times in which the Getafe men are unbalanced trying to defend.
Rui Costa has made an appeal to the fans to come out and act as the 12th man, and support the team, i'm sure that the fans will answer that call. Benfica will need to keep the fans in the game, in order for the fans to provide that extra push.
the team will aslo have an extra motivation to win this game, with Camacho's father passing on Wednesday, the team will be determined to dedicate the win to Camacho and his family.

Keys to the game:

- Playing compact and work as a unit. Creating spaces with constant off the ball movement.

- Finding Cardozo, and supporting him.

- Fan Support.

- Stopping Getafe's quick transition into the counter, with tight marking and correct positioning.

- Midfield passing accuracy and positive progression.

Getafe is a team that is very accessible, but for that, Benfica will have to play well. A strong start is imperative, as Benfica's starts haven't been the best in their past few outings.
Despite the very important absences, Benfica should be able to come out with a positive result from this game, the 2nd leg will be considerably more difficult, but away, is where Benfica thrives, it would be important to take a goal lead into the second leg, as a goalless tie will make the 2nd leg a much more difficult game.