Benfica host Vitória SC on Sunday under pressure after 3-1 defeat at Porto

Benfica under pressure

Benfica go into Sunday's match second in the table with 16 points, five behind leaders FC Porto after a 3-1 defeat at the Dragão on 20 September. Marco Silva said the club had aimed to move up to first place before that game, but that the result has made the table harder to look at. Vitória SC sit 14th with five points and have gone four consecutive rounds without a win, most recently a draw with Moreirense. The match kicks off at 18:00 on Sunday 11 October at the Estádio da Luz, and Luís Godinho will referee. Silva said the three-week league pause after the Porto game was a situation the clubs were experiencing for the first time.

Silva framed the match in blunt terms.

There is only one solution: to win our games, keep winning, improve as a team and have a clear identity.

Four players out

Silva confirmed four absences for the match. Banjaqui is out with muscle discomfort he felt in Benfica's last under-21 game, which the coach said was nothing serious. Kaminski has a muscle injury picked up while playing for the Polish national team. Lenglet serves a one-match suspension after a red card against Porto, and Barrenechea is recovering from an operation on his meniscus. Georgiy Sudakov has been training hard and may be among the matchday squad, Silva said, although early reports about him had suggested a more serious problem. Bah is available for selection.

Vitória's search for a first win at the Luz

Tiago Margarido said his side saw the trip as a chance to make history, because Vitória have not won at the Luz for 17 years. The club has five wins at the stadium in its history, the last of them in 2009. Vitória have scored only five goals in this league season, and Margarido said the four friendlies played during the break yielded seven goals after work on finishing. Alioune Ndoye is suspended for Vitória, and Gustavo Silva is doubtful with physical problems. Margarido rejected the idea that a draw would be acceptable, saying the club never goes into a match thinking about a draw.

We see it as an opportunity, a challenge, Vitória have not won at the Luz for 17 years, and we see it as an opportunity to make history in that sense.

Break, national team duty and the opponent

Silva said the FIFA break was unwelcome, because Benfica worked with only six senior players alongside players from the B team while internationals returned gradually. He said it was the first time the club would play in the third week after a break, which he described as not pleasant but simply the calendar. He pointed to travel, time zones and four matches in 15 days for players on international duty as concerns. Silva praised goalkeeper Trubin for good performances in two Ukraine matches, and said Samuel Soares, who did not play for Portugal, was satisfied to have been called up. Asked about a national-team controversy, Silva said he did not have all the data and would not comment on it. Margarido called Benfica one of the strongest sides the club has had in recent years and credited Silva's work for it.