Benfica Faces Rio Ave in Crucial League Match This Sunday

VILA DO CONDE, Portugal — Benfica is set to face Rio Ave this Sunday at 18:00 in the 26th round of the Primeira Liga. The match is critical for both teams as they strive for better standings in the league.

Head coach Bruno Lage will be present on the sidelines despite missing the traditional press conference due to a viral illness. The squad features three changes with Amdouni, Carreras, and Bruma stepping in for Akturkoglu, Dahl, and Schjelderup.

The Benfica starting lineup includes goalkeeper Trubin, defenders Tomás Araújo, António Silva, Otamendi, and Carreras. The midfield features Florentino and Kokcu, while Aursnes, Amdouni, and Bruma support forward Pavlidis. The substitutes for Benfica include Samuel Soares, Arthur Cabral, Akturkoglu, Barreiro, Belotti, Schjelderup, Dahl, Leandro Santos, and Renato Sanches.

On the other side, Rio Ave coach Petit has made a change by promoting Abbey to the starting eleven in place of Omar Richards. Rio Ave’s lineup consists of Miszta in goal, with Vrousai, Ntoi, Panzo, and Richards in defense. The midfielders are Tiknaz, Ole Pohlmann, and Aguilera, while forwards Kiko Bondoso, Clayton, and André Luiz complete the team. Their substitutes include Matheus Teixeira, Vítor Gomes, Tiago Morais, Zoabi, João Tomé, João Graça, Reginaldo, Bakoulas, and Kostoulas.

Both teams are coming into this match looking to improve their performances in the league. Benfica aims to maintain momentum after recent positive results, while Rio Ave seeks to gain crucial points to separate themselves from the bottom of the table.