Benfica's starting eleven for Benfica vs Lech Poznań was announced before kickoff, and Lech Poznań got a reshuffled Benfica side for the fourth round of the UEFA Europa League league phase. Marco Silva's selections show a team still managing its work, not one trying to recover from trouble.
Benfica's starting eleven
Marco Silva named Trubin; Banjaqui, Circati, Tomás Araújo and El Karouani; Manu Silva and Sudakov; Rafa Silva, Echeverri and Schjelderup; Durán. The bench included Samuel Soares, Enzo Barrenechea, Bah, Aursnes, Lukebakio, Kaminski, Pavlidis, Prestianni, Dahl, Gabriel Índio, João Palhinha and Anísio Cabral.
The league-phase context
Benfica sit second in the UEFA Europa League standings with 9 points after 3 matches, with a goal difference of +8. They have won all 3 of their Europa League games so far, while Lech Poznań are 32nd with 1 point from 3 matches.
A Bola reported that Benfica's starting eleven for the home match against the Polish side was now known, and Marco Silva followed that with a line-up that keeps plenty of first-choice options on the bench. The shape of the selection suggests controlled rotation ahead of a game Benfica are still expected to manage from the front.
The one thing that stands out is how much depth remains available. Samuel Soares, Enzo Barrenechea, Aursnes, Lukebakio and Pavlidis are all among the replacements, which gives Silva room to alter the match from the bench if needed.
Benfica vs Lech Poznań is still the same fixture, but the line-up makes clear that Silva is treating it as a game to control rather than a night to chase.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
