pachman40

RIP Eusebio.... Anyone who says he isn't the best Portuguese player ever is either not Portuguese themselves or have not seen him play.... or both. Ronaldo and Figo are fantastic, generational players, but Eusebio is the king.

The only mention of Chelsea was that quote attributed to the Partizan president. In Portugal all the news sources including Benfica's official website says 5 year contract. Rumored value is 10M euros. I don't know what they're saying elsewhere, just saying abola, record, ojogo, etc... all describe it as a straight purchase by Benfica, not a loan.

Another tidbit ..... I recognize the hate for Jorge Jesus in here, he's a polarizing character and even in Portugal he tends to stick his foot in his mouth and make it hard for fans to like him, but he's passionate and always takes the bullets for the team whenever things go wrong. He does put himself out on a limb and makes dumb comments needlessly but he's our coach and he's lasted 4 seasons when we used to have a revolving door for managers similar to Chelsea prior to him. Anyways, on to the meaning of this post. The reason David Luiz was without a jersey during the medal ceremony and celebrations was because he gave Jorge Jesus his shirt after the match. Days before the match he spoke to JJ and promised that. Also, I noticed when Jesus was on his way to receive his medal, he stopped and gave Paulo Ferreira (his former player) a hug and also gave Ferreira's son a kiss on the head. Yes, Jesus is abrasive and says crap that pisses off the rivals, but he has a different side too and his former players obviously have a soft spot for him so he can't be that bad, right? I'm sure you guys are sick of this pachman clown always yapping about Benfica this and Benfica that. This should be the last of me forcing Benfica stuff on you guys. Back to Chelsea now!

Agreed, for the most part everyone here have been great hosts and I appreciate the class shown. My comments weren't meant to generalize everyone's attitude here, it was directed at that particular post.For the record, I know I kinda represented the opposition in this game but going forward I hope to reprise my role in the ranks of the Chelsea faithful.

As a Porto fan I wouldn't expect or want pity from you. Our rivalry doesn't belong in this forum. If you're a Chelsea fan and want to celebrate together that's one thing, but Porto had nothing to do with this game or competition.

did anyone else notice that Benfica played well, showed a lot of skill, took control of the game, were unlucky and wasteful in front of Chelsea's net, and their fans haven't made one negative comment on this thread. Yet you still find things to complain about. Cheers.

Bittersweet game, heartbroken but proud of my Benfica, won't say a bad word about them. On the other hand, so happy for my Chelsea!!!!!We really deserved a trophy this season and by God we took it! Congratulations to everyone in here, party hard tonight, be safe, and KTBFFH!!!!!

Congratulations guys! My heart ripped out twice in less than a week. Proud of my Benfica. Chelsea!!!!!!! Europa League champions

Benfica are playing too cute and wasting their opportunities. Chelsea need to plug up the midfield or Matic Perez and Gaitan will keep passing around Luiz and Lampard. Poor Frank doesn't know where to turn. 0 - 0 at halftime is flattering Chelsea but a quick goal by Chelsea and the first half becomes a non issue for both sides. Cheers guys, see you after the match.

We were expecting more out of him this season. I don't think he's been bad, I just think the Lima Cardozo partnership has been strong and he hasn't been able to force himself into the lineup. Quality young player, hopefully he's up for this game.

I'm off in a few minutes to watch the game. Everyone here is quite adept at analyzing Chelsea's line-up so I'll throw a couple of tidbits on Benfica's line-up and what it means for Benfica's tactics. Artur-Almeida-Luisao-Garay-Melgarejo-Matic-Perez-Gaitan-Salvio-Rodrigo-Cardozo. Basically playing the strongest starting 11 except Maxi Pereira is suspended at left back so Almeida gets the start, also Rodrigo slides in as a second striker behind Cardozo relegating Lima to the bench. Lima on the bench is a very revealing tactical decision. If Lima and Cardozo were both starting (my opinion would be the proper decision) that would mean pure offense with our strengths being showcased. Rodrigo brings some more speed and hard work to the front line which will try to sneak around between Luiz and Chelsea's back four. It's not a bad decision but surprising. Also, the fact that Lima is on the bench as an option if we need to change tactics and score later in the game is a huge benefit. He is quality and will change the game if he is needed, definitely a positive knowing he's ready to come as a super-sub. Anyways, bottom line is that Benfica have a very very strong line-up with a strong offensive option on the bench. They are going out there to score goals, this line-up is NOT a "park the bus" starting eleven. Just thought I'd let you guys know that. Judging by Chelsea's starting 11 and Benfica's starting 11 it should be a pretty open entertaining game. Both teams will score. May the best team win!

Booked the afternoon off work so I'll be sitting on my couch at home feet up watching the match. I'm a winner either way since one of my two favorite clubs will lift the trophy. Forca Benfica! KTBFFH!

What are people's thoughts on seeing Matic again? He would fit beautifully in the central midfield for Chelsea right now. I know he never really impacted Chelsea or got an opportunity, but he's been fantastic for us this season. No doubt Benfica fans miss David Luiz but getting Matic thrown into the deal on top of the cash was an absolute steal. He's probably worth 15-20M by himself. Do people secretly hope players like him flop after they leave Chelsea or are they happy to see a former player succeed?

I think people underestimate the importance of this game to Chelsea players, I don't think motivation will be an issue. I would be more worried about the central midfield and losing Hazard for the game. It's obviously not official but I would be shocked if Hazard played.

Pacos have played Porto hard the last few games so they haven't been laying down recently, but I would have a little more confidence if they hadn't locked up 3rd place already. That said, I think most us us don't hold hope for the league. Oh wells, that's for another forum. I disagree with you saying our fans have lost interest in this game. We all wanted to win the league but the game tomorrow took on a whole lot more importance after Saturday. If anything I think our fans have become more interested in the Chelsea game, it only makes sense. If Benfica wins the Europa League and the Portugal Cup it will still be a successful season. If we lose to Chelsea then that fantastic season we were having goes down the toilet.

Understood, I was disagreeing with you saying Benfica fans felt the EL game was more important. For us, winning the league was more important. Obviously once we lost to Porto, the EL became most important but it's all good.

Benfica is 0-2 with him as a ref if that means anything. Lost to Liverpool in 2009-2010 CL and lost to to Napoli in the Europa league 2008-2009

Ya those comments are making the rounds in Portugal, for me I don't care but a lot of people are pulling the nationalistic pride angle. If he's Chelsea at heart then good for him, he should cheer for them, but if he's simply going anti-Benfica and he has no previous allegiance to Chelsea then that's kind of a cunt thing to say.

Been away for a couple of days so I'm just catching up reading the thread but I have to disagree with you Rmpr. While Benfica fans give the Europa League title a lot of respect and definitely want to win it, I would say the Porto game was by far more important to Benfica fans. Our rivalry with them is unbelievable and we had the opportunity to clinch the title in their stadium the same way they did in ours a couple of years ago. There is so much bad blood between us. We HATE Porto with a passion and wanted to ram the league trophy down their throats so bad. In the end, that game was absolutely devastating and demoralizing. You watch the reactions of the players and coaches at the end and you understand that this game meant more to them than the Chelsea game. My remote control was the closest its ever been to going through the TV. Jorge Jesus made the mistake that game that so many coaches make in the same position. They went to Porto not to lose knowing a draw would pretty much hand them the title, and when you play like that you're bound to lose. That being said, the Europa League final is not a game where you leave anything in reserve, no reason to hold anything back now, much like Chelsea has no reason to hold back now since the top 4 is guaranteed. This is a game where both sides will be going out there to win and I think it could be an exciting offensive display that could go down as a classic. While Benfica fans would've preferred celebrating the title in Porto's stadium, that doesn't mean this game Wednesday was far behind. It was right up there, and now it becomes THE BIG ONE. To use a British phrase, we are absolutely gutted, and I hope we recover psychologically for Wednesday. It only makes sense to come out with a full strength offensive side to try to put a little confidence in the boys. If we leave either Lima or Cardozo on the bench and plug the midfield it will only signal timidness and fear and we'll be beaten before the game even starts. I look for a 4-4-2 from Jesus with Lima and Cardozo starting up front, Gaitan and Salvio on the flanks, Matic at holding mid, his partner in the pivot hopefully Enzo Perez but might not make it due to injury. I understand that this trophy isn't the Champion's League, but its still a worthy competition and one that Portuguese fans respect. I hope Chelsea fans warm up to it because you'll see the pride and excitement the Chelsea players will play the game with and you'll see that its a meaningful game for them. 2 more days until this game, let's hope for a great one!

I guess the Europa League isn't that hellhole where our team and fans were punished by having to compete? A worthy title?

It's true that we have a couple of good actors, no disagreement, and I hate it. Unfortunately it is a part of the game in Portugal more so than in England but both leagues have divers/cheaters. I'll try to keep my red colored glasses off and call a dive a dive if and when it happens, but I hope the blue glasses stay off as well and call a foul a foul without resorting to the default "diving cunts". Sound good?

Sporting's had a lot of boardroom issues in the last few years. I'm not too familiar with all of it but basically the finances are a shambles. Their academy is great and they sold so many great players for good money but somehow they have no cash anymore to the point they were behind on wages and had to sell players to make payroll. It sucks because we need that strong 3rd team in the league but they are drifting further and further. Braga is a great story and they've had a good run these last few years. They've had an off-season relatively speaking but I see them coming back strong. In reality they are a Europa League level team that got a taste of the CL but still a solid team that will be relevant for the next while for sure. Bottom line is that Benfica and Porto are to the Portuguese league what Real Madrid and Barcelona are to the Spanish League. Occasionally there will be some new contenders challenging but in the end it's going to be those two winning titles for the foreseeable future.

The game is on Saturday, was changed a couple of weeks ago but Benfica's official site is shit. I haven't been there in ages but it's not surprising that they haven't updated that game info.

There are banana peels in every league. Benfica had won 9 straight games in the league and a slip was inevitable. Estoril played well, didn't park the bus, attacked, and are full marks for the result. One thing is for sure, even if Benfica had won today, they would play their 100% full strength team against Porto on Saturday, so this result doesn't impact the Europa League game too much. As someone else said, the Portuguese league is a strange one with Porto and Benfica head and shoulders above the other teams it ends up coming down essentially to a one game play-off for the title. Benfica can still tie the Porto game and wrap it up for all intents and purposes. In the end Benfica is two games away from the end of the league season in first place, in the final of the Europa League, and in the final of the Portuguese Cup. We can win the treble or win nothing. Squeeky bum season for the Benfiquistas. Chelsea's game on Wednesday is hugely important, let's hope Chelsea wrap up the CL spot and the Benfica/Chelsea final is played with both teams 100% concentrated on that game so that we witness a great game!

I'm ecstatic to see my two favorite teams in action once again! Obviously last year in the Champion's League was great, but playing a European final against eachother is a different level. Should be an exciting open game and I look forward to some fun back and forth with you guys. Some of you might recognize me from last year and hopefully your memories of me are positive. I've gone pretty silent in this forum since last year's tie as we had a few Benfica fans leave a bad taste in your collective mouths with their banter. I ended up following my second favorite club through Talk Chelsea more as a spectator instead of being involved on a regular basis. Hopefully this time around we'll get back to the joking / non-hating discussions like it was before the trolls joined up and made a bad impression. Anyways, on to the match, anything can happen in a one-off so no bold predictions one way or the other from me. Hopefully Jorge Jesus keeps his yap shut and doesn't give Chelsea any inspiration with the verbal diarhea. Benfica lost Witsel and Javi Garcia at the last minute last summer and didn't replace them. Us fans thought the season was going down the toilet with such a glaring hole in the centre of the team, but a funny thing happened along the way, your friend and ours Matic emerged as a hugely improved presence in the central midfield and together with Enzo Perez our midfield hasn't missed a beat. Our offense has improved with the addition of Lima to give us a solid striker combo, and we've been able to avoid the injury bug most of the year. Bottom line is that Benfica has improved this year compared to last year. Hopefully we'll have the league wrapped up by the time the Europa final comes and we can concentrate fully on winning this trophy. I come in peace and hope we all get along. This has the makings of a really entertaining game and I hope my fellow Benfica fans stay classy if and when they enter as guests into Talk Chelsea's house.