Poltava - Benfica Preview

With their presence practically assured in the group stage of the Europa League, Benfica will take the field this Thursday for the second leg of the fixture against Ukraine's Poltava.
After beating Poltava by the score of 4-0 in Lisbon, Benfica will be looking to not only preserve the aggregate lead, but also to give the fans a good show, and ultimately win the game. JJ has already stated he will make some changes, but only Cesar Peixoto has been confirmed as a starter.


Has it's becoming more and more common, JJ has once again called on 20 players for this game. Working as half motivation, half back up plan, the calling of more players than the usual 18 players allowed to dress, serves as a way to keep players, that are not usually first choice, motivated, it keeps them with a sense of belonging to the group.
The call up of these players serves as recognition to their hard work through the week, and on the other hand, having 2-3 players more available as back up, can also favor JJ's decisions if anything were to happen. It's a lot easier to call on a player that's already with the team, than to call one that might be home, and therefore not mentally prepared to join the team.

Here's the list of the players that made the long trip to the Ukraine:

Keepers: Moreira, Quim and Júlio César;

Defenders: Shaffer, Luisão, Luís Filipe, David Luiz, Sidnei and Miguel Vítor;

Midfielders: Javi García, Ramires, Fábio Coentrão, Di María, Rúben Amorim, César Peixoto and Yebda;

Forwards: Cardozo, Keirrison, Nuno Gomes e Saviola.

Maxi, Weldon and Martins are all recuperating from injuries, while Aimar was given time to rest.

It's hard to project a starting line up, but it shouldn't be too far from the following:
Moreira in goal. Luis Felipe, Sidnei, David Luiz and Shaffer on the left. Javi Garcia, DiMaria, Coentrao and Cesar Peixoto. Nuno Gomes and Keirrison up front.

Luis Felipe should get his first start at right back, as JJ will look to give Amorim the rest. In the center of the defense Sidnei will most likely give either Luisao, or David Luiz a rest, but I wouldn't discount a Sidnei, Miguel Victor tandem either.
On the left i think Shaffer should remain, as he needs the reps to improve.
In the midfield, either Ramires or DiMaria can get the nod, but with Ramires having a lot of games on his legs, he will most likely the one going to the bench. I believe Coentrao will start.

Up front more doubts, while Keirrison will most likely get the start, his partner is a big question mark. Saviola and Cardozo have been logging in the most minutes, and it'd be logical to give them a rest, on the other hand, with Saviola having only played 45 minutes this past weekend, and not really being able to follow JJ's instructions, i could see JJ giving Saviola another chance to demonstrate he can do what is asked of him.
I don't think Cardozo will start the match, he showed himself at a lower level than usual against Guimaraes, and that may have to do with tiredness. With the team arriving back in Lisbon on Friday, ahead of Monday's fixture, i could see JJ giving him the rest, especially when he will be traveling to South America this coming Tuesday for national team duty, last thing you want to do is to overwork a player as it can easily lead to injury, same holds true for Luisao and Ramires, who will also be traveling on Tuesday. I believe all of these three will not play if it JJ can help it. Nuno Gomes is the most logical choice in my opinion, Benfica's captain will not get many more opportunities to start, and JJ may very well give him the opportunity. He can also slide into the "10" in case Cesar Peixoto is not working out, giving way to another forward.

It's very easy to assume that this is only a game to complete the fixture, and that nothing is at stake. Despite the 4-0 advantage, this game can't be taken lightly. For one, the players who are getting opportunities, know that they can't squander this opportunity. For two, things can very well become too close for comfort, if all of the sudden Benfica sees themselves down by two goals and a home crowd pushing the home team.

This game needs to be approached with the utmost concentration, so that the team comes out of the Ukraine with a positive image, and their morale high, regardless of how many second stringers will play.