Benfica's international break has turned into a squad-management problem. Benfica will be without 15 first-team players over the next two weeks, and another 26 youth internationals have also been called away, leaving Marco Silva with a heavily reduced group at Seixal.
The first-team absences
The list is long enough to disrupt any training week. Over the next two weeks, Marco Silva will not have the goalkeepers Samuel Soares, Trubin and Diogo Ferreira; the defenders Bah, Circati, El Kaourani, Banjaqui and José Neto; the midfielders João Palhinha and Sudakov; and the forwards Schjelderup, Prestianni, Lukebakio, Pavlidis and Anísio Cabral.
A Bola said the break will “condition the work at Seixal”, and that is hard to argue with when so many regulars are away. Fredrik Aursnes was also called up but has a muscle injury, while Tomás Araújo dropped out of the Portugal squad because of injury.
Three fixtures after the break
The disruption lands in the middle of a strong spell. Benfica have won their last five matches in all competitions, are top of the UEFA Europa League with 12 points from 4 matches, and sit second in the Primeira Liga with 28 points from 11 matches.
The schedule after the break is immediate. Benfica's next game is the Taça de Portugal tie against Torreense on 22 November at Estádio Nacional in the fourth round, then they travel to Czechia on 26 November to face Viktoria Plzen in the UEFA Europa League before hosting Famalicão on 30 November in the league.
For Manuel Silva, the issue is not simply rest or rotation. It is keeping the team sharp while 15 first-team players and 26 youth internationals are away, with Torreense first on 22 November.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
