Sports Mole previews Sunday’s friendly clash between Benfica and Feyenoord, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Benfica and Feyenoord will continue their respective preparations for the new campaign with an intriguing friendly on Sunday evening.
Feyenoord have been victorious in both of their pre-season fixtures this summer, while Benfica have a record of two wins and two draws from their four friendlies.
Match preview
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Benfica finished second in Portugal’s top flight last season, 10 points behind the champions Sporting Lisbon, meaning that they have now only won the title in one of their last five campaigns.
The Eagles ended their 2023-24 campaign with a 1-1 draw against Rio Ave on May 17 and were then back in action on July 12, opening their pre-season with a 5-0 success over Farense.
Since then, Roger Schmidt‘s side have played a further three times, drawing with Celta Vigo and Brentford either side of a 3-1 success over Almeria on July 21.
Benfica have two more friendlies in the diary, tackling Fulham after this match, before opening their new domestic season against Famalicao on August 11.
The Eagles have made six signings so far this summer, with the biggest of those being Vangelis Pavlidis, with the 25-year-old striker arriving at the club from AZ Alkmaar.
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Feyenoord, meanwhile, have entered a new era under the management of Brian Priske, with the 47-year-old appointed as Arne Slot‘s replacement.
De Stadionclub finished second in the Eredivisie last season, seven points behind the champions PSV Eindhoven, but they will be confident of making a push for the title in 2024-25.
The Rotterdam outfit have won both of their pre-season fixtures this summer, beatting Dordrecht 4-0 on July 6 before recording a 3-1 success over Genk last time out.
Feyenoord will now face Benfica and Monaco in their final two friendlies before tackling PSV in the Dutch Super Cup on August 4, with their league season then opening six days later against Willem II.
Priske’s team have also been busy during this summer’s transfer window, with the biggest arrival proving to be Ondrej Lingr, who has arrived on a permanent basis from Slavia Prague after a loan spell last term.
Benfica friendly form:
Feyenoord friendly form:
Team News
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Benfica are still missing a number of key players due to international commitments over the summer, including Nicolas Otamendi, who is with the Argentina squad at the Olympics.
Joao Neves, 19, is said to be closing in on a big-money move to Paris Saint-Germain, meanwhile, although he would not have been involved here regardless, having featured for Portugal at Euro 2024.
Head coach Schmidt will again hand opportunities to youngsters, but David Neres is expected to operate alongside Pavlidis in the final third of the field.
As for Feyenoord, head coach Priske is still assessing his squad ahead of the new season, so it is likely that two different XIs will take to the field for each half of the contest.
Youngsters will again be given the chance to make their mark, including 18-year-old Leo Sauer.
However, there should be a recognisable name at centre-forward, with Santiago Gimenez the team’s talisman, and he is expected to feature despite his involvement for Mexico at the Copa America.
Benfica possible starting lineup:
Gomes; Bah, Morato, Araujo, Fernandez; Aursnes, Mario, Felix, Barreiro; Neres, Pavlidis
Feyenoord possible starting lineup:
Berger; Beelen, Pedersen, Lopez, Read; Lingr, Timber, Stengs, Zerrouki; Gimenez, Sauer
We say: Benfica 1-1 Feyenoord
Neither side will be at full strength for this match, but there will still be plenty of quality on display. We are expecting a tight match on Sunday, with the spoils potentially being shared.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
