Jack Butland will be ecstatic after being called up to the England squad, and he will be eager to recreate his heroics from last week.Although I’m sure he’d prefer a quiet night.John Souttar and Connor Goldson were great in Portugal, but were unlucky to be involved in two surrendered goals.Ridvan Yilmaz and James Tavernier, both capable of causing difficulties for Benfica, are likely to increase their offensive play at home.
However, midfield choices are limited, and the trio of John Lundstram, Mohamed Diomande, and Tom Lawrence will be well aware of their opponents’ threat in the engine room.In the first leg, it looked like they only needed two passes to put us under pressure.Todd Cantwell’s return provides a significant boost, as his energy and ball-handling skills are crucial.The offensive line almost picks itself.Fabio Silva was especially impressive on the left in Portugal, and Sccott Wright must be our fittest winger.When he gets tired, Rabbi Matondo and Ross McCausland can help him get off the bench.Now is the moment for Cyriel Dessers to recover his goal-scoring form.This might be a fairly open football game, but the first team to score will be in a great position to advance to the quarterfinals.Hopefully, a repeat of 2022 and our legendary run to the final is in the cards.
Leave a Reply