Latest news with #BrunoLage
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Benfica deny Sporting to take Portuguese title race to wire
Benfica held Sporting Lisbon to a tense 1-1 Lisbon derby draw on Saturday to take the Portuguese title race down to the final day. Both sides are tied on 79 points with one match remaining, with reigning champions Sporting set to triumph if they finish level, boasting a superior head-to-head record. Benfica and Sporting both had the chance to clinch the title on Saturday at the Estadio da Luz but their draw means the fate of the Primeira Liga will be decided on May 17. Trincao put Rui Borges' Sporting ahead in the fourth minute, but Kerem Akturkoglu levelled after 63 minutes after a brilliant run from Vangelis Pavlidis. Bruno Lage's Benfica visit Braga on the final day, while Sporting host Vitoria and will retain their crown should they equal or better their title rival's result. rbs/nf
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Benfica deny Sporting to take Portuguese title race to wire
Benfica held Sporting Lisbon to a tense 1-1 Lisbon derby draw on Saturday to take the Portuguese title race down to the final day. Both sides are tied on 79 points with one match remaining, with reigning champions Sporting set to triumph if they finish level, boasting a superior head-to-head record. Advertisement Benfica and Sporting both had the chance to clinch the title on Saturday at the Estadio da Luz but their draw means the fate of the Primeira Liga will be decided on May 17. Trincao put Rui Borges' Sporting ahead in the fourth minute, but Kerem Akturkoglu levelled after 63 minutes after a brilliant run from Vangelis Pavlidis. Bruno Lage's Benfica visit Braga on the final day, while Sporting host Vitoria and will retain their crown should they equal or better their title rival's result. rbs/nf
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Benfica XI vs Barcelona – Predicted lineup and team news
Benfica make the trip across the Spanish border to take on Barcelona in the Champions League tonight. Bruno Lage's side are aiming to overturn a narrow first-leg defeat in Lisbon, as the Portuguese outfit failed to take advantage of their superior numbers. Pau Cubarsi's early red card reduced Barcelona to 10 men, but Benfica could not find a route past Wojciech Szczęsny in goal. The Polish goalkeeper made nine saves in a man-of-the-match performance. Raphinha's low drive earned 10-man Barcelona a 1-0 lead to take back to Catalonia. Benfica are bidding to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the time in four seasons. The Eagles warmed up for the return leg by beating Nacional 3-0 in the Primeira Liga over the weekend. Angel Di Maria will again miss out for Benfica with the veteran yet to return from a thigh issue. He joins Alexander Bah, Manu Silva and Tiago Gouveia as confirmed absentees, while Bruma – who has been a regular in the Primeira Liga of late – was not registered in the squad for the Champions League's knockout rounds. Former Manchester United left-back Alvaro Carreras is ruled out through suspension, but Vangelis Pavlidis and Kerem Akturkoglu should return after weekend rests. Benfica predicted XI: Trubin; Araujo, Silva, Otamendi, Dahl; Aursnes, Barreiro, Kokcu; Akturkoglu, Schjelderup, Pavlidis. Barcelona host Benfica in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday 10th March 2025. Kick-off is 17:45 GMT. The game will be broadcast on TNT Sports 1 in the UK. Read – See more – | | | |
Reuters
04-03-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Benfica boss Lage expects more fireworks against Barcelona
LISBON, March 4 (Reuters) - Barcelona and Benfica produced one of the most electrifying games of the season with a nine-goal thriller in the first phase of the Champions League and the Portuguese side's manager Bruno Lage told fans to brace for more excitement on Wednesday. He said Benfica, who lost 5-4 after a stoppage time Raphinha strike, will stay true to their identity of attacking football when they host Barca again in the first leg of their last-16 clash and expects the Spanish giants to do the same. "I can't predict how many goals will be scored in the game, but I can predict a great game of football because they're two teams with an eye for attack," Lage told a press conference on Tuesday. "I think it's going to be a tough match and we will go out for the win. Sure, tomorrow's result will be important, but the result of the second leg will be more decisive. "We're going up against a great team who score a lot of goals but we're also looking at the positive things we've done against this opponent: the number of chances we've had, the number of times we've been in front of the goalkeeper... we believe we can get through this tie." Benfica supporters want a different outcome to that late-January rip-roaring encounter at Lisbon's Estadio da Luz in which Barcelona fought back from two goals down to win. Struggling with injuries to key players, Lage confirmed that attacking midfielder Angel Di Maria and midfielder Florentino miss Wednesday's game as they recover but sounded optimistic that winger Renato Sanches should be ready. "The most important thing is for the team to function as a team, as a whole, regardless of who plays," Lage said. "We will try to find the spaces our rivals offer us because they often do. We have to know how to take advantage of the spaces that Barcelona will give us, that should be the key."
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Liverpool's potential Champions League opponent discusses last-16 'preference'
Benfica boss Bruno Lage has admitted he has no preference on who he faces in the last-16 of the Champions League, with a meeting with Liverpool potentially on the horizon. The Reds have a better idea now of who they could face in the next stage of the competition, with half of the play-off games having now been completed. Benfica played out a dramatic 3-3 draw with Monaco on Tuesday to secure a 4-3 win on aggregate, joining Feyenoord, Club Brugge and Bayern Munich in advancing to the last-16. Four more teams will join them on Wednesday, with the draw for the next stage of the competition being made on Friday. That's when Liverpool will find out its next opponents, and have its path to the final mapped out. READ MORE: Liverpool could face nightmare Champions League draw as path to final becomes clearer READ MORE: Is Arne Slot in charge of Liverpool vs Aston Villa? FA deadline passes amid touchline ban update Benfica is one of the Reds' potential opponents in the last-16. The Portuguese side is guaranteed to meet one of Liverpool or Barcelona due to their respective finishes during the league phase, with one of Paris Saint-Germain or Brest facing the other. Pressed on which team he'd rather face in the next round, former Wolves boss Lage insisted the thought hadn't crossed his mind yet. 'A preference? To be honest, I haven't thought about it yet,' Lage said. 'If we want to win, we have to beat everyone, so everyone can come. It doesn't matter if it's Liverpool or Barcelona. 'Reaching the last 16 is a new milestone for Benfica. That is an important moment and our ambition is to get as far as possible in the competition. 'I know Barcelona and Liverpool very well, but I have no preference. We are now focusing on our next match against Boavista, so that we can perform at a good level.' says: Lage might not have a preference, but most Liverpool would probably say they would prefer to meet Benfica in the last-16, given PSG looks almost certain to be the other option. The French champion holds a 3-0 lead from the first leg against Brest, with the second leg taking place in Paris. Benfica though has shown it can be a real threat, having already put four past Barcelona this season - albeit in a losing cause. Of course, Liverpool will know it will need to overcome some big tests if it is to win the Champions League this season, and the Reds have already shown they should have nothing to fear, whoever they come up against.
