Marco Silva should give new opportunities to the players who responded so well in Milan. Benfica go into Thursday's Benfica vs Celtic tie at Estadio da Luz after a 2-0 win at AC Milan in their Europa League opener, and the selection mood points towards another rotation rather than a fixed first XI.
The Milan winners stay in view
Silva's line is plain enough. He wants to back the players who delivered in Italy, and that makes the opening-night group hard to leave out even if the plan changes again. Benfica arrive with 3 points, 2 goals scored and 0 conceded in the Europa League, so there is no obvious need to force a full reset.
The attack still has a reference point in Vangelis Pavlidis, who has 14 goals in 14 games this season. That is the kind of output that gives a coach room to rotate around him rather than in front of him.
Right-back remains unsettled
The one area that still looks open is the right side of defence. Daniel Banjaqui came back from international duty with muscle discomfort, while Alexander Bah has had muscle fatigue in a thigh after a family problem interrupted his rhythm. Bah has made 6 league appearances this season and carries a 7.03 rating, so the issue is less about his level than his availability.
Fredrik Aursnes finished the match at right-back and is one of the emergency options there again. That leaves Silva with a familiar call before Celtic travel to Lisbon, with the home side trying to protect the shape that has taken them to seven points in the Europa League standing and six wins and one draw from seven home fixtures this season.
Celtic are 28th in the Europa League after losing 1-3 at home to Ferencvaros on matchday one, so Benfica have a decent platform even if the team sheet changes. Silva may reward the Milan performance again, but the right flank still looks like the spot where the decision will be made.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
