Benfica debuts this Tuesday in the 2023/24 edition of the Football League Cup, with the visit to Arouca, in Group B of the competition, seeking to return to the path of victory after disappointments at home with Royal Society and Casa Pia.
In just under a week, the ‘reds’ lost to the Basques (0-1), in the Champions League, and tied with the ‘geese’ (1-1), in the I Liga, both at the Estádio da Light. Therefore, the trip to Serra da Freita is doubly important for Roger Schmidt’s training.
In addition to trying to return to the path of triumph, Benfica knows in advance that a defeat will leave them out of the ‘final four’ of the League Cup, taking into account that the Arouquenses – who are coming off a defeat in the championship , against Moreirense – They already played a match, in which they beat AVS, from the II League, 2-1, in September, currently adding three points.
Since each group is made up of three teams and each only plays two games, if Arouca beats Benfica, they will automatically guarantee a place in the next phase. In case of a tie, the ‘eagles’ will continue in the fight for classification, and in that case, they will have to beat AVS on the last matchday, in Luz, in December, by a margin equal to or greater than two goals.
Benfica holds the record for League Cup trophies, with seven, but has not won the competition since 2016, while Arouca reached the final four last season, losing to Sporting in the semi-finals.
The match between Arouca and Benfica is scheduled to start at 8:15 p.m., at the Arouca Municipal Stadium.
Source: TSF
