Signs of change and enthusiasm!

End of the pre-season for Sport Lisboa e Benfica's professional football team that is preparing to start the 2022/23 season with the Danish team of Midtjylland, this Tuesday, August 2, at 8 pm, at Estádio da Luz, in the first leg of the 3rd qualifying round of the Champions League. With a new coach, signs of change, the natural enthusiasm of the Benfiquistas, and new faces to seek the desired path of titles, this is how the period that now ends can be summed up.

It was on June 25 that the players under Roger Schmidt began the medical exams at Hospital da Luz, in Lisbon, complemented on the following day with physical tests at Benfica Campus.

The first contact with the ball, on one of Benfica Campus' fields, took place on Monday morning, June 27, a day in which the players were confronted with the working methods of coach Roger Schmidt.

On the following Sunday, July 3, at 5 pm, a training session open to fans was held. 23 470 Members and fans were present at the Cathedral. Roger Schmidt surprised the fans and made a training match between the elements that worked under him.

On Friday, July 8, the eagles followed their preparation plan in England, traveling to St. George's Park, where they remained in a training camp until July 14.

With intense work sessions and physical loads at this stage, Benfica played a training match against Reading, a team from the English Championship (2nd Tier), having won by 0-2.

Traveling directly to the Algarve, Benfica then participated in the Algarve Tournament 2022, where they faced the French team of Nice (3-0), marked by the integration of Enzo, signed from River Plate, and the English of Fulham (1-5), coached by Marco Silva.

On July 22, in Geneva, Switzerland, in a festive atmosphere, with thousands of Benfiquistas watching the match, Roger Schmidt's team played against the Spaniards of Girona, with a new triumph (4-2).

The pre-season ended with the 11th edition of the Eusébio Cup, against Newcastle, England, a duel that also served as a presentation to members and fans.

Now follows the preparation for the first official match of the season, precisely against the Danes of Midtjylland, for the first leg of the 3rd qualifying round of the Champions League, scheduled for this Tuesday, August 2, at 8 pm, at Estádio da Luz.