Portuguese senior news editor Mario Rui Ventura of Flashscore believes Benfica remain strong favorites to advance to the Europa League league phase against AGF, but he has warned that weaknesses in the Portuguese side’s defense could give the Danish champions hope in tonight’s play-off clash.

AGF were eliminated from the Champions League qualifying rounds by Benfica’s Portuguese rivals, but the Danish champions now have another opportunity to reach European football’s second-tier competition. They begin their Europa League play-off campaign at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon against one of Portugal’s biggest clubs.

Although AGF face a difficult challenge, Benfica coach Marco Silva has already urged his players not to underestimate their opponents. Ventura has echoed those concerns, highlighting defensive issues that the Danish side could look to exploit.

“The biggest weakness has been at the heart of the defence. Benfica lost their two first-choice centre-backs, Nicolas Otamendi, who joined River Plate, and António Silva, who moved to Bournemouth.

The Portuguese giants brought in Clement Lenglet from Atlético de Madrid to partner home-grown defender Tomás Araújo. They also signed young Brazilian Matheus Índio for the reserve team before adding Alessandro Circati from Parma.

However, Ventura points out that Benfica could be short of options in central defence for the meeting with AGF.

“The truth is that, for the match against Aarhus, Benfica still have only two centre-backs in the squad,” Ventura said.

Ventura also pointed to uncertainty in the goalkeeping department as another area of concern for Benfica this season.

“The other major change has come in goal. Anatoliy Trubin, who had been Benfica’s first-choice goalkeeper in recent years, has been replaced by Samuel Soares, a product of the club’s academy. There are still questions over whether either goalkeeper has done enough to establish himself as the undisputed number one,” Ventura explained.

Despite highlighting Benfica’s weaknesses, Ventura noted that Danish football currently enjoys a strong reputation in Portugal thanks to the success of several Danish players who have made an impact in the country.

“Danish football has gained enormous prominence in recent years through players such as Morten Hjulmand, Froholdt, Alexander Bah and Conrad Harder. Denmark has once again become a major talking point in Portuguese football,” he said.

However, Ventura believes AGF remain largely unfamiliar to the average Portuguese supporter.

“AGF, known in Portugal as Aarhus, is virtually unknown to most football fans here,” he added.

Because of that, Ventura believes a Europa League exit against the Danish side would be viewed as a significant disappointment for Benfica. However, he stressed that the club’s biggest setback had already come earlier in the season.

“It would certainly be a major blow. However, the biggest disappointment was failing to qualify for the Champions League once again,” Ventura said.

He added that the financial consequences of missing out on Europe’s premier club competition could eventually force Benfica to consider player sales. Even so, he does not believe a Europa League failure would put pressure on head coach Marco Silva.

“Nobody at Benfica is treating Europa League success as the primary objective. The focus remains on winning the domestic league, and an early exit from the Europa League would not seriously affect Marco Silva’s position.”

Looking ahead, Ventura feels there is growing optimism around Benfica after a period in which Sporting CP and FC Porto have dominated Portuguese football.

“Things can only improve at Benfica. The club’s strong commitment to Marco Silva clearly shows that the board, led by Rui Costa, is determined to reclaim the league title this season while also making a deep run in the Europa League,” Ventura concluded.