Courtesy: Uefa.com

Benfica carrying high hopes

By Rui Matos Pereira

As part of coverage of the 2003/04 UEFA Futsal Cup, uefa.com considers the form and fortunes of the two clubs given the honour of hosting the second qualifying round mini-tournaments. Here we look at SL Benfica.

Big name

Benfica are one of the giants of Portuguese Futsal, despite this being only their third full season. Indeed, after going unbeaten throughout last season, they went on to win a famous league and cup double. They naturally began the 2003/04 campaign with high expectations which rose further after a Super Cup success in September.

Sporting setback

However, Benfica's league form this time round has not matched that early promise. Having suffered a 5-3 defeat at the hands of runaway leaders and old rivals Sporting Clube de Portugal early in the year, Benfica turned their attentions to achieving success in the UEFA Futsal Cup.

Goals galore

The European campaign started emphatically with three straight wins in their first qualifying round mini-tournament, played in front of their own fans in Lisbon last October. First, the Bosnia-Herzegovnian team MNK Kaskada Gracanica were dispatched 11-0, before Benfica went one better in a 12-0 rout of KMF CD Shop Mozart from Serbia and Montenegro. The final game was a 4-2 victory against Greek side Athina '90 CFA but top spot was never in doubt.

Strong opposition

The second qualifying round promises to be a tougher prospect, even if Benfica will once again be the home team. Alípio Matos's men will welcome three of European Futsal's strongest teams, Prato C/5 of Italy, Croatia's MNK Split and Action 21 Charleroi from Belgium. Charleroi finished runners-up in the first two UEFA Futsal Cup finals.

Past performance

By contrast, the best showing by a Portuguese team in official UEFA Futsal club competition was Sporting Clube de Portugal's run to the semi-finals in 2001/02 when it was played as a 'finals' tournament. In 2002/03, AR Freixieiro were the Portuguese representatives but they failed to make it past the first qualifying round.

Perfect blend

However, there are high hopes that Benfica will carry Portuguese interest all the way to the final this time. The squad is full of internationals such as Pedro Costa, Arnaldo and captain André Lima, while the arrival of Brazilians Lukaian and Chico has added more quality.

Rising star

Chico, in particular is one of his country's rising stars, and was signed from São Paulo FC. "Chico, together with Lukaian, will bring an added value to our team," said Benfica's sporting director, Luís Moreira. "They will help improve our chances of winning the UEFA Futsal title."

Time is right

The fan base is also clearly there to back such stars with nearly 5,000 people turning out at Lisbon's Pavilhão Atlântico to see the crucial league match with Sporting in January. With strong support and the football club as a whole celebrating its centenary, there is plenty of reason to think this could be Benfica's year