The match between Benfica and Atlético is an ode to Argentine football. Between the two clubs, they boast ten albiceleste players in their first teams, along with the addition of Gerónimo Spina to bolster Atlético’s defense.
Spina is the seventh Argentine player available to Simeone, who is surrounded by a coaching staff filled with members who live and breathe football. Atlético’s lineup features Julián Alvarez, De Paul, Nahuel Molina, Correa, Musso, and Giuliano Simeone, in addition to the aforementioned Spina, who joins as a player for Atleti B. The first four players lifted the World Cup in Qatar, while Alvarez, De Paul, Nahuel, and Musso secured the Copa América just this summer.
Benfica, on the other hand, includes two key players who have been crucial to Scaloni since his arrival: Di María and Otamendi. Both are world champions and Copa América winners. Di María bid farewell to his national team during the last international break in September, having made 145 appearances for Argentina. Both players have been strongly linked with a move to Atlético in recent years. Gianluca Prestianni and Benjamín Rollheiser complete the Argentine contingent at Benfica. Atlético also features Griezmann and Lemar, the other two World Cup champions in the squad.
