Benfica boss confirms ‘one of the standout players’ will miss the trip to Anfield for Champions League tie

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Liverpool host Benfica in the second-leg of the quarter-final of the Champions League, with the visitors missing one key player.

Speaking with the media ahead of the game (via Benfica’s club website), manager Nelson Verissimo said: ‘We all know how important Rafa (Silva) is, he is one of the standout players we have.

‘We regret his absence for this match, but we also have players in the squad who will certainly respond positively. We will opt for the player who is more adequate to the game strategy. 

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‘We have a lot of confidence in the other players in the squad. If we score a goal first, the tie or the course of the game can change, we go with that ambition.

‘Despite the defeat in the first leg and the difficulties we will encounter, because we will play against one of the best teams in the world, we believe in what we did [in the first leg at Estádio da Luz] and there will be space that we can exploit.

‘We must be very effective in our finishing and very solid in our defensive process’.

Rafa Silva would have certainly been a player that many of our fans noticed as one of the key men for the Portuguese side, so his absence will be a big plus.

The rest of their squad is fit and able to play though, with Darwin Nunez attracting a lot of attention following his first-leg goal and the public adoration of Jurgen Klopp.

Let’s hope this injury blow will aid our efforts at progressing to the final four.

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