2026-2027 Europa League: Benfica vs. Aarhus, Probable Lineups

After easily defeating Hearts, the Scottish runners-up, in the third qualifying round, Benfica is one step away from qualifying for the group stage of the 2026-2027 Europa League, but must still overcome one more opponent, Aarhus, fresh off a heavy defeat against Sabah of Baku in the third qualifying round of the Champions League. The match will be played on Thursday, August 20, at 9 p.m. Italian time (8 p.m. local time) at the Da Luz Stadium in Lisbon.

The Eagles of Lisbon entered the Europa League in the second qualifying round against St. Gallen: after losing 2-1 in Switzerland, Marco Silva’s men decisively turned the tables at the Da Luz, winning 5-0 and advancing to the next round, where they defeated Hearts 6-1 at home and drew 1-1 in the return leg at Tynecastle—a match that, in reality, turned out to be little more than a practice session. In league play, Benfica opened with a 2-2 draw against Academico Viseu, before thrashing the hapless Casa Pia 7-0.

Aarhus, as is often the case with Northern European teams, has benefited from an early preseason and already has several official matches under its belt, both at home and in Europe. What happened in Baku, however, surprised more than a few insiders: the team coached by Jakob Poulsen, the reigning Danish champions, won the first leg 2-1 and ended the first half of the second leg at 0-0, only to collapse after the half-hour mark: A 4-0 victory for the Azerbaijani champions dashed their Champions League dreams, leaving them with “second-choice” European competition.

Probable Lineups

BENFICA (4-2-3-1): Soares; Bah, Araujo, Lenglet, Dahl; Barreiro, Barrenechea; Silva, Sudakov, Prestianni; Pavlidis. Coach: Marco Silva.

AARHUS (3-4-3): Hedenstad; Rosler, Storch, Kahl; Anderson, Knudsen, Jonsson, Emmery; Bech, Bogere, Arnstad. Coach: Poulsen.