Arthur Cabral and Tengstedt both have happy stories against the Minho team; high tension game in Luz; who will choose Schmidt?
In a season that has gone badly and in which Benfica can only secure second place in the championship, Saturday’s game, at home, against SC Braga, in the 31st round of the League, assumes great importance and will represent a kind of test greater in relation to Roger Schmidt’s conditions to continue in the new season.
The German coach has been whistled, he was criticized a lot in Faro (on the last day and with the team winning the game 3-1) and this even led the president of the reds, Rui Costa, to remember that “limits were exceeded” and asking for “dignity” to end 2023/2024.
In a Estádio da Luz that will most likely have over 50 thousand fans, it will be important to check the reaction of the team and the fans.
Regarding the team, the question remains whether Schmidt returns to the usual starting lineup or introduces some elements into the eleven that showed good signs against Moreirense and Farense. Arthur Cabral, who turns 26 this Thursday, is one of them.
The Brazilian striker was the best on the field in the Algarve game and scored one goal, making him 11 at the time. Cabral even has good memories of the clashes with SC Braga. In the last duel, on January 10th this year, in Luz, for the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup, the striker started, scored a goal and made an assist in the 3-2 victory.
Brazilian striker scored a great goal in the 34th minute
Benfica, it must be said, has not lost to SC Braga in four meetings and has won the three most recent. In the last one for the Championship, on matchday 14 of this edition and in Braga, the Reds won 1-0. The goal was scored after just three minutes by Casper Tengstedt. The Danish striker is another strong candidate for the starting line-up on Saturday, having last scored in that Braga game on December 17, 2023. Tengstedt has three goals this season.
Tengstedt’s last shot was against Vizela two months and four days ago; in the League you need two games to hit the target
Marcos Leonardo, who has played 19 games and scored five goals this season, has also alternated in the starting lineup with the other two strikers, but, also taking into account the weight of this challenge with SC Braga, it is more likely that the place in the eleven whether for Tengstedt or Arthur Cabral.
