Attention! Marco Silva has unexpected absence from the call-up for Aarhus - Benfica and it is not Durán
Glorioso 1904 – Se é notícia do Benfica, está aqui26 August 2026 at 14:20
Benfica confirmed an important absence in training ahead of the second leg of the Europa League play-off against Aarhus. Fredrik Aursnes, the team captain, suffers from a sprained right ankle and did not travel with the team to northern Europe, thus missing the match. The Norwegian international had returned to the pitch in the first leg, but will not be an option for Marco Silva. In addition to Aursnes, the young players Jaden Umeh and Daniel Banjaqui were also unavailable due to injuries. The integration of Jhon Durán and Alessandro Circati was also mentioned.
SC Braga secured a goalless draw away to Austria Wien in Vienna, ensuring progression to the next phase of the Europa Conference League. In the second leg, the Portuguese team recorded only one shot on target, committed 34 fouls without receiving any cards, and managed the result to secure qualification.
Benfica secured qualification for the league phase of the Europa League by beating Aarhus 3-1 in Denmark, repeating the result from the first leg. The goals were scored by Prestianni (two) and Rafa, while Carstensen scored for the Danish team. The league phase draw will take place in Monaco on Friday.
The "Minho warriors" drew zero-all in Vienna against an Austrian team, a result sufficient to guarantee passage to the league phase of the Europa League Conference, after they won the first leg 2-0.
André Villas-Boas, president of FC Porto, considered the Champions League draw as "always difficult", but argued that the weight of the dragons' history demands a good campaign in the European competition.
