Santa Clara vs Benfica: Mourinho forced into late reshuffle as Aursnes ruled out
Benfica begin Round 22 of the Liga Portugal with a tricky trip to the Azores on Friday, facing Santa Clara at 2: 30 PM ET. With points vital at both ends of the table, José Mourinho must revise his plan after a fresh muscular injury to Fredrik Aursnes and continued workload management for Petar Dedic, while the setup behind striker Vangelis Pavlidis remains the central selection debate.
Kickoff and stakes
The match opens the weekend’s league slate away from mainland Portugal, adding travel and conditions to the equation for the title-chasing visitors. Santa Clara, battling to pull clear of the danger zone, welcome a Benfica side that cannot afford to drop pace in the championship race. It is a fixture laden with urgency: the hosts need points to ease relegation pressure; the visitors need a statement win to sustain momentum.
Benfica team news: Aursnes out, Dedic managed
Mourinho’s pre-match blueprint changed on Thursday when Aursnes sustained a muscular issue during training, ruling him out for the trip. The setback compounds the continued absence of Dedic, who is being managed after competitive fatigue. The double blow pushes Benfica toward another adjusted XI, demanding clarity in midfield balance and defensive rotations while preserving fluency in possession.
With Aursnes typically offering connective tissue between lines and defensive industry, Benfica must redistribute those responsibilities. The coaching staff’s challenge is to maintain pressing triggers and ball progression without their versatile Norwegian and while carefully handling Dedic’s recovery plan.
The Pavlidis question in attack
Beyond personnel losses, the key tactical hinge is who supports Pavlidis. The Greek forward thrives with a reliable supply line and close-quarters combination play just off his shoulder. Benfica’s staff have weighed profiles for the role behind him: one path favors a more creative, link-heavy option to knit phases through the middle; the other prioritizes penetration and vertical runs to pin Santa Clara’s back line. Each choice shifts the team’s build-up tempo and pressing structure.
Expect fluidity. Benfica can toggle between a narrow attacking triangle to overload central zones and wider rotations to stretch the hosts. The identity of Pavlidis’s partner—and how that player moves between half-spaces—will shape crossing patterns, second-ball recoveries, and how aggressively the visitors counter-press after losses.
Santa Clara’s home test
Santa Clara enter the contest with clear imperatives: protect their defensive box, manage Benfica’s tempo swings, and capitalize on transitional chances. The Azorean side have typically found success by compressing central lanes and inviting opponents into crowded zones before springing forward. Against a Benfica missing a key all-field influencer, quick counters down the channels and set-piece discipline could be their best levers.
The opening 20 minutes loom large. If Santa Clara can disrupt Benfica’s rhythm early—especially the visitors’ attempts to feed Pavlidis between the lines—they can tilt anxiety onto the title contenders and create a match that rewards patience and opportunism.
Weather and pitch watch in the Azores
Conditions in the Azores are often part of the story. While final lineups were named ahead of kickoff, staff on both benches have been mindful of the local weather and playing surface. Any wind or dampness could alter passing speed, aerial duels, and set-piece trajectories. Game management—when to play through pressure, when to go long—may hinge on how the pitch and elements behave over 90 minutes.
What to expect
Benfica should control possession phases, but their efficiency in the final third without Aursnes’s connective role will be scrutinized. The visitors’ pressing DNA under Mourinho promises intensity, yet the midweek training setback and squad rotation will test cohesion. For Santa Clara, compactness, rest defense, and quick outlets will define their hope of an upset.
In a contest that doubles as a referendum on adaptability, the side that adjusts quickest—to absences, to matchups behind Pavlidis, and to the Azorean conditions—will likely take the points. With the title race and survival fight both in sharp focus, the margin for error at 2: 30 PM ET is slim.
