A Busy July

With the first week of pre-season in the books, Benfica gets ready for a busy July. Trips to Switzerland and Holland are on the schedule, as well as exhibitions matches, and two tournaments. It'll be the first opportunity to look at JJ's version of Benfica, and whether we should maintain high expectations or if we should proceed with caution.


This week Benfica will be at Caixa Futebol Campus, where they will train Monday and Tuesday before leaving for Switzerland on Wednesday. During their stay in Switzerland the team will play two exhibition matches, the first one(and first one of the season) will be against Sion, July 12th. There is also talks about a match about against Shahktar Donetsk, but no date has yet been formalized by the club.
On the 15th, the team will return to Portugal via Algarve where they will get ready to participate in the Guadiana Tourney with matches against Atl Bilbao and Anderlecht, on the 16th and 18th respectively.
After Algarve the team will make the trip up to Lisbon where they will most likely enjoy a day off on the 19th, only to come back to work on the 20th, where they will prepare the Official Introduction to the Fans game against Atl Madrid.
A special night not only for the fans who have so much hope deposited on the team, but also for Simao who will return to his former stomping grounds for the first time since leaving 2 years ago this summer.
Following that Tuesday's game, Benfica should be back in the air on Wednesday, as they will need to travel to Amsterdam for that city's tournament where they will be playing on Friday and Sunday, against Sunderland and Ajax respectively.
It'll be back to Portugal where Benfica will start wrapping up their July and preparing for yet another tournament, where they will meet Guimaraes and Portsmouth, in the Guimaraes tournament starting the 31st of July.

Certainly a month full of matches and chances to get a good look at the team. Although pre-season games aren't a very good indicator as to what the season will do during the season, there's still a lot to be taken out of these matches and the team's progress throughout the month.
For one, the squad will start to take shape and we will see a certain degree of separation between the candidates to positions and second stringers. It'll be an interesting month to say the least, throw in the Liga Sagres drawing this upcoming weekend, where Benfica will find out their 09/10 season schedule and we have a very interesting July, not to mention that it's been over a month without seeing the team in action.

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3 teams....2 Spots

The 08/09 European season will be the last season in which 3 Portuguese teams will have a chance to compete in the Champions League. As it stands right now, the top 2 teams get automatic berths, while the 3rd place finisher will be drawn into a qualifying round.
Portugal's European coefficient has gone considerably down, all because of poor displays by Portuguese clubs, as a result, UEFA's coefficient point system has punished the Portuguese Bwin with the loss of an automatic berth.
For the 09/10 Champions league edition, only 2 spots will be available, the champion will get an automatic berth, while the runner up will be playing in the qualifying round. With that in mind, this year's berths take on special importance.

With Porto having wrapped the league title about 4 months ago, it is up to the following 3 to fight for the remaining 2 spots.

Sporting is in second place with 49 points, Guimaraes also has 49 points, but at a disadvantage due to the head to head tie breaker with Sporting(and Benfica), Benfica see themselves on the outside looking in, as they are in 4th place with 48 points. Two games remain to settle who will get the final 2 spots. For Benfica it'll be the only thing that can dampen the disaster that this season was, possibly the worst in many years.
For Sporting, a Champions League berth would also be the attainment of one of their secondary goals, as well as their third straight year with direct entry to the group stages.
For Guimaraes it is the corollary of a consistent season, which sees them where they are today, much because of Benfica's and Sporting's inconsistencies all year. Surely the Champion's League was a distant thought in the mind of Cajuda's men in the beginning of the season, after all, they had just been promoted, but as the season went on, what went from a distant thought became a big possibility.

Here's what the three will have to deal with in the last 2 games.

Sporting

With Liedson being declared out for the next two games, due to a twisted knee, Sporting will need to find offensive solutions to win 2 very tough matches.
This weekend they will make the trip to the very tough Mata Real building, the home of P. Ferreira. P Ferreira is fighting relegation, and they will play their lives in the next 2 matches. Playing at smaller Mata Real has always been a very difficult task for any team, the proof is in the numbers, as P Ferreira has only lost 4 times, this year at home.
The following week, Sporting has a chance to finish strong at home against Boavista. Boavista has struggled away all season, having only won once away from Bessa, nonetheless the clashes between the two are always very competitive.

Guimaraes

For Guimaraes, 3rd place might put them in a very delicate position. Yes they will be in, but playing in the qualification round, would see them encounter a tough team being that their European team coefficient is very low. If they get past that, or they qualify from second place, that same coefficient would see them being drawn out of pot 4(4th seeded), which would also see them encounter very tough 1 and 2 seeds. However, in the group stage, Guimaraes will have the opportunity to generate significant revenue, with 3 home games.
Guimaraes will face Belenenses this week, who despite just being handed out a 6 point deduction(Meyong case)will still be fighting to get into the Uefa Cup. A tough game away for Guimaraes.
The following week Guimaraes will host Estrela da Amadora. Guimaraes should have no problem beating Estrela, not to mention their supporters will be in force, as they have been all season. The last game of the season and the possibility of playing in the Champions League will only serve to create an even more favorable home atmosphere for Guimaraes.

Benfica

Benfica will try to finish the season with two wins, and hope the two above them slip. The two wins would see Benfica end the year on the right foot, and on a high note. Rui Costa deserves it, and the Benfiquistas who have stuck with the team all year deserve it also. Ascending on the table and achieve a Champions League birth, could possibly be the only thing that will make Benfiquistas forget some of the disaster this season has been.
Benfica will play Estrela da Amadora this week. Tough away game, against a team who is fighting relegation. The final game of the season, and Rui Costa's very last game with a Benfica Jersey on, will be against Vitoria de Setubal. Definitely the tougher of the two remaining games, but being Rui Costa's last game, we can expect a special Benfica, playing a game worthy of a dignified send off, one worthy of only the predestined, and of few players Benfiquistas have ever seen gracing Estadio da Luz, new and old.

All three teams will finish at home, and all have, i would say, at least one very tough game. This weekend will clearly be one weekend which will set the stage for who will be where, come the final whistle two weekends from now.

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Looking ahead to February

The shortest month of the year will bring 6 games for Benfica. Between Bwin clashes, and the Portuguese Cup, Benfica will also play the first Uefa Cup round in February. Add a National team friendly date into the mix, and you have a very busy month for Benfica.


Here's a quick look

2/2 - Bwin - Nacional
2/6 - National team Friendlies
2/10 - Portuguese Cup - Pacos de Ferreira
2/14 - Uefa Cup 1st leg - Nurnberg
2/17 - Bwin @ Naval
2/21 - Uefa Cup Second leg - @ Nurnberg
2/24 - Bwin - Braga

Benfica will open up the month this weekend, when they host Nacional at Estadio da Luz. Nacional is currently 9th in the Bwin.

The following week, most of the nationals teams will be in action, as February 5th and 6th are FIFA designated dates for International friendlies. Away with their National teams will be: DiMaria, Cardozo, Maxi, Rodriguez, Katsouranis, Quim, Petit, Nuno Gomes, Luisao, and Sepsi. All of these players will not make their return to the team until Thursday to Friday(2/8) - Special attention should go towards the South American players, namely, DiMaria, Maxi, Rodriguez and Cardozo, who will have to travel to the American Continent to play their matches. Jetlag and lenghty travelling times will definetely be a factor and will condition how these players will come back to Benfica.

That weekend(2/10), the 5th round of the Portuguese Cup will be played. Benfica will host Pacos de Ferreira. Pacos de Ferreira is currently 15th and have not won a game away from home yet. Should be an easy game, but that will all depend on how healthy the "internationals" will return.

On February 14th, Benfica will open up their Uefa Cup campaign, at home against Nurnberg.

That following weekend(2/17) Benfica will travel to Naval for the Bwin. Naval is currently 14th in the Bwin.

February 21st will bring the second leg of the Uefa Cup and Benfica will travel to Germany to play Nurnberg.

To finish up the month(2/24), Benfica will host Braga, who is currently 7th in the Bwin. Braga is a very strong team and have picked up a couple of players to strengthen their squad, during the january transfer window.

Along with the 2 Uefa cup games, the game against Braga is probably the most crucial of the month, not only because of the degree of competitiveness and the worth of Braga, but because it is the game that preceeds Benfica's short trip to archrival's Sporting.

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Looking Ahead - January Preview

The new year is just around the corner. "Ano Novo, Vida Nova" is a Portuguese expression that means - New year, New Life. For Benfica it's no exception, having "cut" 9 players from the squad, Benfica is looking to get a fresh start with the new year. There's a lot of anticipation around the January transfer window and what players will be coming in, Benfica needs at least 3 players to strengthen the squad, in order to be competitive in the 3 competitions they are still in - Bwin, Portuguese Cup and Uefa Cup. With that being said, i wanted to look ahead at the month of January, a month that will prove to be a momentum builder for the rest of the season.

Benfica starts off the new year playing the very last game of the first half of the season. Having cut the Porto lead to 7 points, Benfica needs to start off the year strong, as they need to continue their pursuit of first place. January is a very important month, not only because Benfica fans will get a chance to see how the new additions will fit in and how much stronger they will make the team, but also because Benfica has a chance of gaining more points on Porto.

Here's Benfica's Schedule for January:

1/5 - Away at Vitoria de Setubal
1/13 - Home against Leixoes
1/20 - Home against Feirense (Portuguese Cup)
1/27 - Away at Guimaraes

The first and last games of the month are the more difficult ones. Setubal has only lost one game for the Bwin and are currently 5th. Setubal eliminated Benfica from the League Cup and they are having a very good year. If Benfica can get past Setubal, they will definitely send out a message - the championship is far from over.
The second game of the month brings Leixoes to Lisbon, Leixoes tied Benfica in the first half of the season, a game that dictated Fernando Santos' sacking. Benfica is a very different team from the team who played Leixoes in the beginning of the season, will prove that at home.
A week later Benfica will play Feirense, a second flight Portuguese team, for the Portuguese Cup in a game that will most likely see some of the less used players getting a start. The last game of the month will be another tough game, Guimaraes. Guimaraes is currently 4th place and is having a hell of a year after just being promoted from the Vitalis League. If Benfica can win these games they will be in a very good position to gain on Porto.

Porto has a couple of complicated games in January, hosting Braga and coming to Lisbon to face Sporting. Definitely an opportunity there for Benfica to win some points.

Looking right below, Sporting has an even more complicated schedule in January, playing 2 more games than Benfica and Porto. Those 2 games are part of the Carlsberg Cup, a competition that Porto and Benfica crashed out of.

So, as you can see, January is a very important month for Benfica. Coming out of January on a high, will also give the team momentum, as February will bring back European competitions, with Uefa Cup.

Obviously the biggest thing in January will be the new players. Luis Felipe Vieira has told the media that Benfica are only interested in players that have the ability to break into the starting 11. Benfica will not buy players just to buy them.

In my opinion, Benfica needs the following positions to be strengthened - Forward, Right Mid/Winger and a Left Back, maybe an attacking midfielder with "9-slot" characteristics. Here are some of the players that have come to light as Benfica targets:

Soldado - The very seldom used Real Madrid striker, was one of Benfica's targets before the season started, but his acquisition/loan never really materialized. With a new window of opportunity, and the player's mind set on getting playing time at any cost, Benfica might be able to get Soldado, if Real gives their okay, as the player might be too expensive to buy.

Dica - The Romanian attacking midfielder has been talked about for a while now, the best player of the Romanian league would love an opportunity to play at a better league, but as of right now, there are no developments in the negotiations.

Fred - The unsettled Brazilian forward has been made aware by Lyon's coach that he is not part of the teams second half of the season plans, and is currently looking for a club where he can play. He has expressed that Benfica would be an interesting option but so far there hasn't been anything concrete.

As far as the left back position goes, there hasn't been any word from the Benfica camp or the media as far as a target. There were news about Hertha's Gilberto, but they seemed to have died down since Hertha gave the player what he wanted. Jorge Ribeiro's name has been in much of the media's speculation, but there hasn't been any indication from Benfica that would confirm these rumors. I've been following Guilherme, a Brazilian left back who was playing for Vasco(see the post below this one).

On other fronts, Gremio has until Wednesday to come up with an offer for Diego Souza.
Benfica is asking for 4mm for Souza's pass and Gremio has only been able to come up with 3.5mm . There's a possibility that Benfica might agree to the deal if some of Gremio's young talent is included in the deal. For the first time this week, i read Diego claiming that he would consider returning to Benfica, in my opinion we should have another look at this player. He had a great year, which earned him an Olympic team call up, I think he would be very useful playing the box-2-box role.

January is also CAN 08 month - the African Nation's Cup will take place between the middle of January and February. Benfica will most likely lose Binya to the competition. Camacho has brought up Fellipe Bastos from the Juniors to have a good look at him. If you recall, Benfica bought Fellipe Basto's a month ago, and being that he is only 17 years old he was going to play for the juniors, but because of Petit's injury and Binya's one game suspension, Bastos has been working out with the Senior squad.

Exciting month coming up, no doubt.

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