SL Benfica Football Formation

Starting Lineup

Samuel Soares · Aursnes · Leandro (Santos) · Otamendi · Tomás (Araújo) · Amdouni · Dahl · Belloti · Carreras · Kokçu · Bruma

Focusing on high pressing and rapid transitions, SL Benfica utilizes a 3-4-3 formation to control the tempo of matches. This lineup aims to win the ball high up the pitch and use quick vertical passing to catch the opposition out of position. The goal is to dominate the central areas while maintaining enough width to stretch the back line of the opponent.

Samuel Soares stays between the posts to organize the defense. A back three consists of Tomás, Otamendi, and Carreras. Otamendi acts as the central figure to command the area and use his aerial strength, while Tomás and Carreras cover the wide spaces behind the wing backs. This defensive unit often pushes up a high line to compress the space between the lines. The wide players in this formation must track back quickly to help the three central defenders when the team loses possession.

The midfield operates with a central pairing of Kokçu and Aursnes to control the center of the park. Kokçu acts as a pivot to shield the back three and break the lines with his passing range. Aursnes works alongside him to drive forward and connect the defense to the attack. On the flanks, Dahl and Leandro act as wing backs, providing the necessary width. They must overlap to support the attackers and tuck inside to help the central midfielders when defending.

In the final third, the attack is built around Belloti as a lone striker. He works to hold up the ball and create space for the wide players. Bruma and Amdouni operate as wide attackers, with Bruma often looking to cut inside to find goal scoring opportunities. These three forwards press in coordinated waves to force mistakes from the opposing defenders. The movement of the wingers creates gaps in the half spaces for the midfielders to exploit.

One major advantage for SL Benfica is the ability to create wide overloads when Dahl and Leandro push forward to join the attackers. This forces the opposition to shift their defensive block constantly. Another strength is the numerical superiority in the middle when Kokçu and Aursnes press high, allowing the team to intercept the ball in dangerous areas. The formation also provides great speed of transition once the ball is won in the middle third.

This 3-4-3 formation provides a balanced way to dominate possession while remaining lethal on the break. It is most effective against teams that play a high defensive line and leave space behind their defenders.