SL Benfica Football Formation

Starting Lineup

Samu Soares (D. Ferreira / A. Trubin) · Daniel Banjaque (Alexander Bah) · Tomàs Araújo (A. Circati / G ĺndío) · Clement Lenglet (J. Wander / J. Fonseca) · Jose Neto (S. Dahl) · João Palhinha (E. Barrenechia / R. Rìos) · Gianluca Prestianni (D. Lukebakio / T. Gouveia) · Gonçalo Moreira (H. Sudakov / J. Rego) · Andreas Schjelderup (J. Kamiński / J. Umeh) · Jhon Durán (A. Cabral / A. Saidi) · Vangelis Pavlidis (F. Silva / O. Edokpolor)

SL Benfica looks to win the ball back high up the pitch through an aggressive high press using a 5-3-2. This formation is built to play with verticality, looking to catch opponents on the break once the ball is recovered. The lineup focuses on controlling the central areas while using wide players to provide width during transitions.

Samu Soares sits between the lines as the goalkeeper, acting as the first point of distribution. The defensive unit operates with a back five, where João Palhinha acts as the central anchor to win the second ball and provide cover. Clement Lenglet and Tomàs Araújo sit on either side of him, with Lenglet acting as a ball playing defender to help play out from the back. Jose Neto and Daniel Banjaque act as attacking wing backs, pushing high to stretch the defence and provide crosses when the team moves into the final third.

The midfield functions as a three-man midfield with a carrier and creative outlets. Gianluca Prestianni and Andreas Schjelderup operate in the half-spaces, looking to press aggressively to win the ball high up the pitch and drive forward with the ball. Gonçalo Moreira plays as an attacking ten behind the strikers, looking to find the feet of the strikers or arrive late into the box to add numbers to the attack. This trio works to compress the midfield and deny the turn of the opposition playmakers.

SL Benfica utilizes two forwards in a partnership up front. Jhon Durán and Vangelis Pavlidis operate as a dual threat, with Jhon Durán using his strength to hold up the ball and Vangelis Pavlidis looking to run in behind the defence. They press the opposition back line intensely to force a long ball. When the team attacks, the wing backs pull wide to create overloads, allowing the forwards to combine in tight spaces or move into channels to split the defence with a through ball.

A major advantage for SL Benfica is the ability to create wide overloads from the overlapping runs of Jose Neto and Daniel Banjaque. The team also benefits from a high degree of compactness when defending, as the five defenders and three midfielders sit in a narrow defensive block to protect the middle. This allows for a quick speed of transition once the ball is won.

This formation provides a solid base for a team that wants to dominate central zones while hitting quickly in transition. It is best suited for games against opponents that play with a high line or leave space behind their wing backs.