Benfica coach Roger Schmidt confirmed on Thursday that striker Tengstedt will be absent “in the coming matches” due to injury, but recalled that absence could be an opportunity for other footballers to show their value.
“The Kasper [Tengstedt] was injured yesterday [quarta-feira] and tomorrow it’s over [sexta-feira] and probably also in the next matches, in January. We have to find solutions, but we have a squad with a lot of quality and different options, so we will present a strong team,” the coach told Famalicão at a press conference in Seixal.
Awaiting the reception of the Minho team, counting for the 15th round of the 1st Portuguese Football League, Schmidt also admitted that he has to “work through some issues” due to the high number of absences due to injury (Alexander Bah, Juan Bernat, David Neres and Tegstedt) or punishment (Otamendi), but devalued the issue, emphasizing that he is “completely focused on what is available.”
“When players are missing it is always an opportunity for others to appear. Sometimes these moments are needed and it can be an advantage for the coming weeks if some players manage to perform well enough to be more than just an option on the couch.” “, he recalled.
The coach also expects to have some members back in January, including David Neres, who is “back to individual training” at Seixal and “completes the final phase of his recovery on the field”.
Moreover, he believes that in the January transfer market he will not lose some players who have been important in the team, such as João Neves and António Silva, with whom he speaks “every day”.
“We are halfway through the season and have big goals at Benfica. We certainly won’t let any of these players leave because we need them. And the second thing is that no one wants to leave, so there is no problem with that,” Schmidt said.
Benfica will host Famalicão on Friday in a match of the 15th round of the I Portuguese Football League, which starts at 6.45 pm, at Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, and will be refereed by André Narciso (AF Setúbal).
The two clubs faced each other about a month ago, in the fourth round of the Portuguese Cup, in a match in which the ‘reds’ won 2-0, with goals from Riccieli (72 minutes, own goal) and Rafa Silva (77 minutes). ).
“We played against Famalicão for the cup a few weeks ago, so we know they are a very organised, compact team, with a lot of quality in transitions and individual quality up front. We had to be patient to decide the match and tomorrow [sexta-feira] It will be the same,” the coach recalled.
The team led by Roger Schmidt remains in second place in the I League with 33 points, one point behind leader Sporting, and can temporarily isolate itself in the lead with a win, as the ‘lions’ only come into the field on Saturday against Portimonense.
Source: DN
