Rui Vitoria: ‘’We have 3 more finals ahead’’

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Benfica has recently claimed a 2-0 triumph over Dynamo Kyiv in their first group stages match of the Champions League and this result has positioned the Portuguese club at the 3rd spot of Group B with 4 points collected from the 3 matches that they have played so far.


This victory that Benfica secured over Dynamo Kyiv is incredibly important for them as it’s their first match in the group stages of the Champions League and Benfica will have to start collecting more points in order to climb a few spots of their group.

There are 3 more Champions League encounters left and in order for Benfica to have any real chance of qualifying into the next rounds of the European competition and this is what they are aiming to accomplish.

The upcoming opponents that Benfica will have to face off with in the Champions League are: Dynamo Kyiv but this time on their home turf at the Estadio da Luz in Portugal, Besiktas and Napoli.

Rui Vitoria is the manager of Benfica and even though he is happy about the recent Champions League triumph over Dynamo Kyiv, the 46 year old Portuguese manager knows that there still are 3 more games left and they will need to get positive results in all of these approaching matches. (more…)

BENFICA TO GET NEW STRIKER THIS SUMMER

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Benfica is set to get a new striker after Dutch international Bas Dost revealed his intention to leave VfL Wolfsburg to join Portuguese giant Benfica.


He make his intentions known as his spot in the squad is under threat with the move of German Mario Gomez.

The transfer window is poised to close on Wednesday, yet Dost insists he can force his move away from the club. He is keen on playing in Portugal, with the deal set to take at least €10 million.

“I am assuming that it will come off,” Dost said after his assists in the 2-0 win at Augsburg. Gomez is set to return to training soon as he picked up a hamstring injury whilst in action for Germany at the Euro 2016 tournament. Gomez decided to quit Turkey after his stellar record last term due to the political unrest in Turkey. He is the top scorer with 132 goals in 197 games for Bayern Munich and Stuttgart since 2006. His arrival forced Dost to look for alternatives.
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BENFICA SIGN GUILLERMO CELIS

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Portuguese giant Benfica have confirmed reports that they signed Guillermo Celis on a five-year deal.


The club got the Columbian international from Junior FC, according to reports. The player is 23 years old and was a part of the national team that placed third at the recently concluded Copa America in the United States.

Benfica signed the player from Columbian side Deportivo Junior SA but the reports didn’t the transfer fee. The club has had enjoyed decent transfer deal success with the most recent being Renato Sanchez. The club signed the youngster for just 750 Euros and 20 footballs a few years ago. The player developed from the youth team before breaking into the first team. He was eventually sold to German giant Bayern Munich for 35 million Euros. The transfer fee for Celis is believed isn’t very expensive as well. An excited Celis told reporters:

“It’s a great day, a very important day for me and I am very happy to be here. I want to work in the best way and give my best to win a place in the team and win titles.”
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SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY LINKED WITH BENFICA FORWARD

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There are reports making the rounds that Sheffield Wednesday is set to make a bid for Benfica forward Nelson Oliveira.


Owls coach, who is Portuguese Carlos Carvalhal, is believed to be a keen admirer of the 24-year old rising star player. The player also sees playing for the coach as an attractive proposition and he is willing to take the plunge.

Oliveira scored nine goals for the City Ground in the past season but the club is ready to listen to offers for the player. He joined Benfica back in 2010 but he has only started two games for the club. He is likely to leave the club this summer but Sheffield Wednesday hope to snap him up. There have been reports linking Sheffield Wednesday to a number of Portuguese players in the last few weeks.

Sporting Lisbon player Ryan Gauld is one, then there’s Monaco forward Ivan Cavaleiro. Cavaleiro has been linked with a move to Hillsborough as the club desperately needs another striker this summer. Initially, it seems getting Fulham’s Ross McCormack was a done deal but the transfer fee has been an issue.

Steven Fletcher has already agreed to a four-year deal following his release from Premier League side Sunderland but Sheffield want another good striker.

The Owls will even be meeting Benfica in a pre season fixture on Wednesday 20 July. Sheffield Wednesday will host the Portuguese Champions at Hillsborough after playing some local preparation games from July 4th. After the game with the Portuguese, Sheffield Wednesday would fly out to trade tackles with Primeira Liga team Nacional on Sunday 24 July at the Esadio Albufeira Municipal. (more…)

BENFICA PUSHES OUT SPORTING BRAGA FROM TAÇA DA LIGA

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Portuguese champions, Benfica, have eliminated Sporting Braga from Taça da Liga after a 2-1 victory on Monday.

Egypt International Ahmed Hassan ‘Koka’ played the full 90 minutes, as Sporting Braga’s dreams were crushed at Luz Stadium in Lisbon.


The only goal scored by the 23-year-old striker in the competition was during his side’s 4-0 win against Leixões. The visitors had an early advantage as Rafa Silva scored for his side after 19 minutes. Later in the first half, Wilson Eduardo lost a chance to double his side’s lead, for the first half to end with just that lone goal. As Braga retreated to the midfield in the second half, Benfica came closer to score an equalizer.

Just two minutes to the one-hour mark, Jonas drew level for Benfica. Twenty minutes to full time, Raul Jimenez completed Benfica’s comeback as he added the second for his side making it 2-1. Braga failed to alter the scoreline as the game ended in Benfica’s favour. Koka’s side had qualified to the semi-final after topping Group D on 7 points, while Benfica had secured their spot after collecting the maximum 9 points in Group B. (more…)

Rui Vitoriais not too disappointed after Team Loss

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Rui Vitoriais not too disappointed following his team’s 1-0 loss against Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final match.

Benfica were underdogs coming into the game with Bayern overwhelming favourites for a win. Not many expected the Portuguese team to get a result. A victory for the German club was expected in most quarters and this result has not surprised them. Vitoria feels that such a narrow defeat away from home is a good thing for the underdogs as they can now walk towards winning the home leg in front of their supporters.

Benfica have been riding a wave of good form in recent weeks. The club had a run of eight successive victories before suffering this loss.Vitoria will have every right to feel confident that the club will return to winning ways this weekend againstAcadémica. They need to get back on the right track if they are to keep up their position in the league table. Even though there is not much competition from FC Porto this season, Sporting CP are closely following Benfica in the table. The two teams are separated by just two points after 28 games. (more…)

Benfica’s players have caught the eye of the Premier League

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The Portuguese side Benfica has a few players that have attracted the eyes of some big Premier League clubs including Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United.

Manchester United specifically has displayed interest in more than just 1 player from Benfica. Nicolas Gaitan is a 27 year old Argentine midfielder who has been in the radar of Manchester United for some time and the Premier League club was on the verge of launching an offer for him but the player does not seem to be interested in making a move away from Benfica as he penned a new 4 year-long contract which will be keeping him in the club at least until 2019.

In this new contract that Nicolas Gaitan signed with Benfica, he has also increased his release clause to €45 million and by doing this, the Portuguese club will keep hold of Gaitain for a significantly long period of time and if any club is truly interested in signing him, they will have to offload a hefty amount of money in order to even try to sign him.

“This renewal is fantastic. It’s a vote of confidence from the club and I’m delighted. It was a quick and easy decision. Both parties are happy. I’m very happy at Benfica, they’re one of Europe’s top clubs.” This is the statement that was released by Nicolas Gaitan after he signed his contract extension as the Argentine midfielder revealed his joy in staying with the club on a long term deal.

Even though Nicolas Gaitan has no interest in making a move to the Premier League, this has not discouraged Manchester United from attempting to sign a player of Benfica as the English club is now interested in signing Goncalo Guedes. Guedes is a highly rated 19 year old forward who has also been receiving offers from Arsenal and Chelsea. (more…)