The Eagles clinched the Portuguese Primeira Liga title last term and are looking to prepare for yet another fruitful campaign under the stewardship of Roger Schmidt.
Follow Us
Benfica and Southampton are set to begin their pre-season on Wednesday as they face off in a friendly at St. George’s Park. The Eagles clinched the Portuguese Primeira Liga title last term and are looking to prepare for yet another fruitful campaign under the stewardship of Roger Schmidt. The Saints, meanwhile, finished six points adrift at the foot of the Premier League table and thereby ended their 11 year stay in the English top flight. Russell Martin has been tasked with leading Southampton’s promotion bid in 2023-24, as the 37-year-old signed a three-year contract last month.
Sneek peek from today’s session!#PreSeason pic.twitter.com/G0bJTrydmI
— SL Benfica (@slbenfica_en) July 11, 2023
Benfica had an impressive campaign last term, losing only three of their 34 league-matches on their way to securing the Portuguese top flight title, scoring a whopping 82 goals while conceding just 20 in the process. However, despite their dominant performances, Porto gave a good fight, pushing the title race all the way to the final day, but eventually finishing just two points adrift. It was the Eagles’ first league-title since 2018-19. Apart from the domestic success, Schmidt’s side also reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, where they were beaten 5-2 on aggregate by Inter Milan. Across all competitions, the Portuguese giants lost only four of their 51 matches after 90 minutes and they will be hoping to kick-start their preparations for 2023-24 with a positive result on Wednesday.
Southampton, on the other hand, endured a disastrous 2022-23 season, losing 25 of their 38 Premier League games to suffer relegation to the Championship. The Saints are set to compete in the second tier for the first time since 2011-12 and will be aiming to make a quick return to the top flight under the stewardship of new boss Martin, who helped Swansea City to a tenth place finish in the 2022-23 Championship table. The Swans played an exciting brand of football under the 37-year-old, having scored the fourth most number of goals (68) in the second tier last term. Therefore, the Scottish tactician will be expected to introduce an attacking style of play at St Mary’s stadium. Meanwhile, Wednesday’s clash with the Eagles will likely be a baptism of fire for Martin.
Benfica probable starting lineup: Vlachodimos, Gilberto, Silva, Otamendi, Grimaldo, Luis, Chiquinho, Mario, Silva, Aursnes, Ramos
Southampton probable starting lineup: McCarthy, Bree, Bednarek, Lyanco, Walker-Peters, Ward-Prowse, Lavia, Armstrong, Alcaraz, Aribo, Sulemana
Benfica
| Opponents | Score |
| Santa Clara | 3-0 (W) |
| Sporting CP | 2-2 (D) |
| Portimonense | 1-5 (W) |
| Braga | 1-0 (W) |
| Gil Vecente | 0-2 (W) |
Southampton
| Opponents | Score |
| Liverpool | 4-4 (D) |
| Brighton | 3-1 (L) |
| Fulham | 0-2 (L) |
| Nottingham | 4-3 (L) |
| Newcastle | 3-1 (L) |
The club friendly between Benfica and Southampton will take place at St George’s Park on Wednesday at 7:30 pm IST.
| Benfica vs Southampton | Key Details |
| Date | July 12 |
| Venue | St George’s Park |
| Kickoff time in UK | 3:00 pm |
| Kickoff time in Portugal | 3:00 pm |
| Kickoff time in India | 7:30 pm |
Unfortunately there is no reliable information available regarding the live streaming of this match, we’ll update the viewers as soon as any kind of information is available.\
More football news:
Liverpool news: Why Adrian signed a new contract with the Reds?
