AVS vs Benfica: Mourinho begins new journey in Portugal, preview, team news, odds and lineups

AVS Futebol SAD hosts Benfica in an important Liga Portugal clash, with the home side desperate to escape the relegation zone after collecting just one point from five matches.

Jose Mourinho's Benfica, sitting fourth in the table, look to bounce back from their Champions League defeat to Qarabag. History favors the visitors, who thrashed AVS 6-0 in their last meeting, though their previous encounter at Estadio do CD Aves ended in a draw.

AVS Futebol SAD will welcome Benfica to Estadio do CD Aves for a crucial Liga Portugal Round 6 encounter on September 20, 2025, at 18:00.

The match, to be officiated by Bruno Costa, pits the struggling hosts against a Benfica side managed by Jose Mourinho that is looking to maintain their push for the title. AVS find themselves in a precarious position near the bottom of the table, while Benfica are aiming to build momentum after their midweek Champions League disappointment.

AVS Futebol SAD (4-2-3-1, Jose Mota)
Goalkeeper: Simao Bertelli (93)
Defenders: Diogo Spencer (2), Aderllan Santos (33), Cristian Devenish (42), Kiki Afonso (24)
Midfielders: Angel Algobia (27), Jaume Grau (15), Oscar Perea (14), Bruno Lourenco (17), Babatunde Akinsola (11)
Forward: Tomane (7)

Benfica (4-2-3-1, Jose Mourinho)
Goalkeeper: Anatoliy Trubin (1)
Defenders: Tomas Araujo (44), Antonio Silva (4), Nicolas Otamendi (30), Samuel Dahl (26)
Midfielders: Enzo Barrenechea (5), Richard Rios (20), Fredrik Aursnes (8), Heorhii Sudakov (10), Andreas Schjelderup (21)
Forward: Vangelis Pavlidis (14)

The historical meetings between these teams have been heavily dominated by Benfica. In their most recent encounter on April 27, 2025, Benfica demolished AVS 6:0 at Estadio da Luz with goals from Tomas Araujo, Evangelos Pavlidis, Mohamed Amdouni, Muhammed Akturkoglu, Andrea Belotti, and Nicolas Otamendi.

However, their previous meeting at Estadio do CD Aves ended in a 1:1 draw, with Cristian Devenish scoring a late equalizer for AVS after Amdouni had put Benfica ahead. Overall, Benfica have won three of their last four meetings, scoring 16 goals while conceding just two.

AVS Futebol SAD are enduring a dreadful start to the season, currently sitting 17th in the table with just one point from five matches.

Their recent form shows five consecutive winless games, with four defeats and one draw. They lost their most recent match against Estoril (3:1 on September 13), following defeats to Famalicao (0:1 on August 30), Casa Pia AC (0:2 on August 15), and Arouca (3:1 on August 9). Their only point came in a 2:2 draw with Braga on August 24.

Benfica, meanwhile, are positioned 4th with 10 points from 4 league matches, though they suffered a setback in the Champions League with a 2:3 home defeat to Qarabag FK on September 16.

In the league, they drew 1:1 with Santa Clara on September 12, but had previously secured victories against Alverca (2:1 on August 31), Tondela (3:0 on August 23), and also defeated Fenerbahce 1:0 in Champions League qualification on August 27.

AVS Futebol SAD hosts Benfica in a critical Liga Portugal clash, with the home side desperate to escape the relegation zone after collecting just one point from five matches.

Jose Mourinho's Benfica, sitting fourth in the table, look to bounce back from their Champions League defeat to Qarabag. History favors the visitors, who thrashed AVS 6:0 in their last meeting, though their previous encounter at Estadio do CD Aves ended in a draw.