After suffering their first defeat in all competitions under Roger Schmidt, Benfica will be looking to bounce back with a victory against Portimonense. The headlines prior to the Braga match were dominated by the ongoing transfer saga of Enzo Fernández to Chelsea, and whilst he started and played 89 minutes, you could tell from the start that there was something off about not just Enzo, but the entire team’s performance as a result. They were second to every loose ball, they were lethargic in and out of possession, they failed to answer after conceding the opener and they never once managed to get back into the game after falling behind. Benfica can take solace in the fact that Paris Saint-Germain, the only other undefeated team in all competitions in Europe, fell to a 3-1 defeat to Lens just two days later, but they are in desperate need of a strong response as they get set to face Portimonense on Friday.

Benfica started the 2021/22 season as one of the only undefeated teams in Europe alongside PSG and Napoli before falling to a 1-0 defeat to Portimonense on October 3 that saw Brazilian center back Lucas Possignolo open the scoring after 66 minutes and Brazilian goalkeeper Samuel Portugal make six saves to ensure a clean sheet and the Algarvian club’s first-ever win at the Estádio da Luz. With the exception of that match and a 2-0 defeat in Portimonense on January 2, 2019 that saw Rúben Dias and his central defensive partner Jardel score own goals in the first half as well as a sending-off for striker Jonas in the second half, all of Benfica’s recent fixtures against Portimonense have featured more than 2.5 goals. Eight of the last 11 fixtures between the two have seen both teams find the back of the net, and I’m expecting something similar this week.

Benfica will be without Rafa Silva due to accumulation of bookings and could also be without Enzo Fernández, who appears to be on his way to Stamford Bridge, and this will see Schmidt forced to experiment with new players in new roles. Expect Florentino Luís to accompany Fredrik Aursnes in the double pivot, but it is unclear whether or not David Neres has recovered from injury – if not, expect Julian Draxler and João Mário to operate on the flanks with Petar Musa playing alongside Gonçalo Ramos in a newfound striker pairing. This could leave Benfica players disorganized whilst defending the counter and similarly vulnerable to the debacle at Braga, and it could see a Portimonense side featuring various counter-attacking weapons like Zié Ouattara and Luquinha take advantage.

Portimonense’s last four league matches have seen both teams score, with the Algarvians succumbing to a 2-1 home defeat to Casa Pia via a 94th-minute goal from substitute Carnejy Antoine, and while they may be unable to keep out a Benfica side that is desperate for a response, they could be able to take advantage of their attacking tendencies and find a way past their defense.