SL Benfica Football Formation

Starting Lineup

Trubin (S. Soares / D. Ferreira) · Dedic (Bah / L. Santos) · Antonio Silva (Tomàs Araújo) · Otamendi (G. Oliveira / J. Wynder) · Dahl (R. Obrador) · Fredrik Aursnes (L. Barreiro / J. Veloso) · Richard Ríos (Enzo Barrenechea / Manu) · Dodi Lukebakio (G. Prestianni) · Andreas Schjelderup (Bruma) · Franjo Ivanovic · Vangelis Pavlidis (H. Araújo)

SL Benfica prefers a vertical style of play, utilizing a 4-4-2 formation to strike quickly. This lineup is built to play direct football that looks to hit the opponent in behind as soon as the ball is won. The goal is to move the ball from the back to the front with minimal hesitation to catch the opposition before they can settle.

Trubin stays between the posts to anchor the back line. The defense operates as a flat back four with Dedic and Dahl acting as attacking full backs who push high to provide width. In the center, Otamendi uses his aerial strength to win the header and command the area, while Antonio Silva plays as a ball playing defender who can step up to intercept passes. The entire defensive unit works to stay compact and shift together to cover the width of the pitch and deny the turn to attackers.

The midfield relies on a double pivot consisting of Richard Ríos and Fredrik Aursnes. Richard Ríos sits deep to shield the defense and win the second ball, while Fredrik Aursnes works to connect the defensive and attacking lines by carrying the ball forward. On the flanks, Andreas Schjelderup and Dodi Lukebakio operate as wide midfielders. Andreas Schjelderup looks to cut inside to find space between the lines, while Dodi Lukebakio stays wide to whip it in for the strikers.

Up front, SL Benfica employs a two-man strike partnership. Vangelis Pavlidis acts as a target man to hold up the ball and find the feet of his partner, while Franjo Ivanovic makes runs in behind to stretch the defense. The two forwards press from the front to force a long ball from the opposition. This attacking unit relies on combining in tight spaces to break the line and create chances through cutbacks from the byline.

This formation offers significant speed of transition when winning the ball in a mid-block. The team can create wide overloads by having Dedic or Dahl overlap the winger to send crosses into the box. Additionally, the presence of two strikers helps to pin the last defender and create space for the wide players to work.

The 4-4-2 lineup is a direct and hard to break down system. It is best suited for games against teams that play a high line and leave space behind their defenders.