Benfica-Lech Poznán: Eagle in search of keeping the full and throne in Europe

YEAH a Benfica in good phase that, on Thursday night, will seek to keep the perfect record in the single league phase of the Liga Europa, before a Lech Poznań without victories that makes a long trip to Lisbon. The game is valid for the fourth journey.

Marco Silva's training leads the qualifying table, with the same nine points as Bayer Leverkusen, Bournemouth, Ferencváros and Olympiacos, returning to the European competitions two weeks after winning at Omonia's to try to follow the series of six matches followed to win for all competitions.

On the other side there will be a Lech Poznán who has not lived an easy European era. Despite leading the Polish championship, and with less one game than the main opponent, the Polish formation has not yet won in this league phase.

With only one point in nine possible so far, Lech Poznań is one of the most successful teams in the first three rounds. If we pull the tape back, the Poles couldn't keep the goal inviolate in any of the last seven games out of the house in all competitions. In addition, they do not win five games away from home in the league phase of this Europa League.

This will also be the third confrontation between Benfica and Lech Poznán in European events. The two teams met in the Europe League group stage at the time 2020/21, with the incarnates winning both games comfortably, by 4-0 at home and 4-2 out.

The Benfica-Lech Poznán has initial whistle scheduled for 20h00 (hour of Continental Portugal) on Thursday and will be whistled by Slovenian Martin Matosa, who will have as assistants Matej Zunic and Aleksandar Kasapovic, as fourth referee David Smajc, as VAR Alen Borosak and as AVAR Alen Borosak.

Coaches in direct speech

Marco Silva

Direct clearance getting closer: “We want and we will fight for direct qualification. It is very important not to add two playoff games to an already overloaded calendar. The first is to fight for the three points in dispute. Then it will be a consequence if we do it well not have extra two games at a very particular time of the season, with many games. If we can avoid it, we will avoid it. It's up to us, our ability, what we can and should do in the next games, starting tomorrow. The most important thing is next. At home, which is important. We've had good shows in the Europa League. It's against a good, quality opponent and we have to show quality, be a capable team, regardless of changing a good number of players. We've already shown that the players responded well. If we do it again, it's a chance to get caught. We have players who come from injury. We've talked about Enzo, Banjaqui himself will happily be summoned and we've overburdened Bah. In the League Cup we played with two left sides to spin. Having Banjaqui back is important to us. If we continue to add points we will achieve a goal.”

Team management: “It wasn’t a surprise. The players have been doing very well. Even those who have been doing very well, feeling that in the next game, they may not play, because we chose some rotation... We have young players who like to play and always be on the field, and we have to make them realize that a season is not only ten or 20 games, it's many, and we don't all have to be perfect in six months. We must have maximum yield over a year. The Europe League requires that. This week is the best example of what we have to do, and it is the tightest example we will have. We've never played Monday, Thursday and Sunday, it'll be the first time due to the international break. Just look at the three games in seven days, it's not very normal and creates a very large wear. I know it's the first few months and we can't be constantly talking about wear and tear... I don't want to take the conversation anywhere, but it's important to do it. Often, more than rotation, players have to realize that, not changing many of our features, it is important to adapt and change the chip so that we can have exhibitions that allow us to win games. This is the most important, and players have responded very well, even with punctual changes. It only makes us grow, as a team, and to them, individually.”

Physical condition of João Palhinha: “Ten days ago, against Omonia, we decided not to start with him, Manu began. We had planned that, against Gil Vicente, we wanted him to have a game, and it was different. We look at the next game a lot, but then we have to look further ahead, too, and that's what we did. With Enzo's injury, we couldn't do that much. It's part of it. He's been a player with a few minutes, but he's not close to the most on our team this season. In the selection made two and did not play another two. We have all this data to run the best way and get the players as fresh as we can. When we play Thursday, Sunday or Thursday, Monday, it is almost impossible to have it completely fresh for the next game. They have to get used to it, and John comes from a reality where he was often used to playing in the middle of the week. It is prepared.”

Niels Frederiksen

Adversary: “We know that we also have a lot of quality and that tomorrow [Thursday] will probably be a fight to have the ball, both teams have a strategy to create with the ball in their power, so it will be a fight to have it. Of course, we know that from time to time we will have to defend with our hearts and our lives.”

Savings on 11: “We will try to use the strongest team we can in this game that is very important to us. We are here to try to win the three points, so let’s put what I believe is the strongest team we have.”

Stirred in Benfica: “Benfica will not change your way of playing if you change two or three players. It's the same structure, same style of play. So I'm not thinking about any of that, but maybe they will change [some players], yes.”

Last results

Benfica: V-V-V-V

Lech Poznán: V-E-V-D-V

Last elevens

Benfica: Samuel Soares, Alexander Bah, Clément Lenglet, Tomás Araújo, Samuel Dahl, João Palhinha, Fredrik Aursnes, Dodi Lukebakio, Gianluca Prestianni, Andreas Schjelderup and Vangelis Pavlidis.

Lech Poznán: Mateusz Lis, Joel Pereira, Mateusz Skrzypczak, Terry Yegbe, Michal Gurgul, Radoslaw Murawski, Antoni Kozubal, Patrik Walemark, Pablo Rodríguez, Leo Bengtsson and Yannick Agnero.

Absence

Benfica: Lenglet, Leandro Barreiro and Jaden Umeh (injured).

Lech Poznán: John Moutinho, Alex Douglas, Wojciech Monka, Mikael Ishak, Ali Gholizadeh and Allahyar Sayyad (injured).