Benfica Podcast - Talking to the Doll

Welcome back to Talking to the Doll! 🦅🔴Benfica put on a European clinic at the Estádio da Luz, sweeping past Scottish champions Celtic FC 4–1! Jhon Durán ran riot with a brace, Alexander Bah found the scoresheet, and Vangelis Pavlidis came off the bench to add the exclamation point. Tonight, we break down the tactical superiority against Celtic, analyze Gianluca Prestianni’s breakout creative form, discuss Davinson Sánchez transfer links, and preview Thursday's Europa League trip to Cyprus to take on AC Omonia!

We recap the 2–0 win over Vitória SC at the Luz: Dahl's opener, Sudakov & Echeverri super-sub magic, and zero shots on goal conceded! Plus, previewing Thursday’s Europa League clash vs. Celtic at da Luz and our favorite historical milestones.

🔴 Welcome to tonight's LIVE edition of The Benfica Podcast!

We are breaking down everything from a chaotic weekend in Portuguese football, starting with the bitter 3-1 defeat to FC Porto at the Estádio do Dragão. What was Lenglet thinking? Did the tactical switch work? Where does the squad stand in the title race?

Plus, on this very day, the Benfica Campus celebrates 20 YEARS of excellence—we discuss the legacy, the massive €120M adidas renewal,

A night that will live forever in Benfica lore! The Eagles traveled to the iconic San Siro and conquered AC Milan 2–0 on Matchday 1 of the UEFA Europa League, earning the club's first-ever competitive victory over the Italian giants! Tonight, Alfredo, Cristiano, and Dave break down the tactical triumph in Milan, analyze Sunday’s 3–1 comeback win over Gil Vicente, and look ahead to Sunday's massive top-of-the-table Clássico against FC Porto at the Estádio do Dragão.

In Tonight’s Show:

🇮🇹 Milan 0–2 Benfica Masterclass: Dodi Lukébakio’s wonder goal, Jakub Kamiński’s clinical finish, and Souffian El Karouani’s breakout display.

🇵🇹 SL Benfica 3–1 Gil Vicente Recap: Pavlidis’ brace, Prestianni’s dagger, and Claudio Echeverri’s debut assist.

🧠 Marco Silva’s Tactical Masterstroke: How wing rotation dismantled Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 and Palhinha locked down the midfield.

🐉 O Clássico Preview (Porto vs. Benfica): Tactical keys, injury recovery for Alexander Bah, and fighting for top spot in Liga Portugal.

📜 Club History & Trivia: 4 historical September 16 moments (including Eusébio's 1968 Golden Boot) plus 3 Benfica trivia questions!

Welcome back to Talking to the Doll! 🦅🔴

Benfica took care of business in style over the last four days, following up a 3–0 victory at Marítimo with a commanding 4–0 win away at Moreirense earlier today! Tonight, Alfredo, Cristiano, and Dave break down both road masterclasses, analyze the link-up play between Gianluca Prestianni and Andreas Schjelderup, and discuss squad rotation as Marco Silva gears up for Gil Vicente at the Catedral and next Wednesday's massive UEFA Europa League opener against AC Milan at San Siro!

In Tonight’s Episode:

🌴 Marítimo 0–3 SLB Recap: Leandro Barreiro’s brace and João Palhinha’s full starting debut.

🟢 Moreirense 0–4 Breakdown: Pavlidis' penalty, the Schjelderup-Prestianni connection, and Aursnes sealing the rout.

📋 Tactical Observations: Daniel Banjaqui stepping up for Alexander Bah, rest-defense adjustments, and Souffian El Karouani's debut.

🔮 Upcoming Match Previews: Hosting Gil Vicente at the Luz before heading to Milan for Matchday 1.

On Tonight’s Show:

🇩🇰 AGF Aarhus 2nd Leg Review: Handling the Danish test and advancing 6–2 on aggregate.

🇵🇹 SL Benfica 2–1 Estoril Recap: Pavlidis and Lenglet score; João Palhinha makes his debut in red.

🔄 Full Transfer Window Review: Breaking down every signing and departure—Claudio Echeverri, João Palhinha, Souffian El Karouani, Circati, Kamiński, Sudakov, Dedić, António Silva, and Florentino.

🇪🇺 Europa League League-Phase Draw: Detailed breakdown of all 8 fixtures from Milan to Alkmaar.

🌴 Marítimo Match Preview: Tactical keys, island history, and squad rotation for the trip to Madeira.

📜 On This Day in Benfica History: 4 classic September 2 milestones and stats for Dave!

Welcome back to Talking to the Doll! 🦅🔴

European knockout pressure is at its peak! After facing Danish side AGF Aarhus at the Catedral in the first leg of our UEFA Europa League Play-Off, the crew reconvenes to break down the tactics, player performances, and what Marco Silva needs to adjust ahead of the decisive trip to Denmark. Plus, we turn our attention domestically as Benfica prepares to host GD Estoril Praia at the Estádio da Luz!

Tonight, Alfredo, Cristiano, and David cover:

🇩🇰 AGF Aarhus 1st Leg Breakdown: How Benfica handled Aarhus’ defensive block, Sudakov’s central space creation, and second-half impact subs.

🇵🇹 Estoril Praia Match Preview: Facing Marco Silva's former side, analyzing Estoril's difficult start to the season, and key tactical matchups.

🔄 Transfer Window Updates: Gabriel Índio signing confirmation, Jhon Durán's immediate impact, Franjo Ivanović to Lens, and the ongoing João Palhinha rumors.

📊 Stats for Dave: Vangelis Pavlidis’ scorching goal tally, Prestianni's consecutive starts, and Estoril’s early-season metrics.

📜 On This Day in Benfica History: Remembering August 24 milestones from 1980, 2004 (Anderlecht), and 2019 (Alvalade derby win).

💬 Live Chat & Fan Q&A: Lineup rotation debates, front-three depth, and predictions!

What a response from Marco Silva’s men! After punching our ticket to the UEFA Europa League play-offs with a professional showing at Tynecastle against Hearts (7–2 agg), Benfica bounced back from the Matchday 1 draw in the most emphatic way possible—annihilating Casa Pia 7–0 away from home!

Tonight, the crew breaks down:

⚽ The 7-Goal Blitz vs Casa Pia: Pavlidis' blistering 7-minute hat-trick, Prestianni's continued red-hot form, and Jhon Durán making an immediate impact off the bench.

🛡️ Tactical Stability: The first domestic clean sheet and how Sudakov unlocked the midfield.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Hearts 2nd Leg Recap: Navigating Edinburgh to seal aggregate qualification.

📊 Stats for Dave: Goal conversion rates, historic scoring paces, and double-pivot efficiency.

🇩🇰 AGF Aarhus Preview: Gearing up for the Europa League Play-Off first leg at the Estádio da Luz.

eason 15 of Talking to the Doll continues! Join Alfredo Fumacas, Cristiano Oliveira, and David De Oliveira as we breakdown an action-packed week for SL Benfica.

🔥 Topics Covered:

- UEL 6-1 Masterclass vs Hearts & Jhon Durán's debut goal

- 2-2 Draw vs Académico de Viseu: What went wrong at the Luz?

- Marco Silva's defensive transition dilemmas

- Transfer News: Franjo Ivanović loan to Lens & midfield target rumors

- Previewing the trip to Tynecastle Park & Liga Portugal MD2

#SLBenfica #Benfica #TalkingToTheDoll #CarregaBenfica #UEL #LigaPortugal

**Audio echoes for the first 6-7 minutes***We are BACK for Season 15 of Talking to the Doll! we kick off the 2026/2027 season with full analysis of the squad, new manager Marco Silva, summer transfers, and our comeback in the Europa League!

On the last podcast of the season, we look at this years roster, and tell you who we would Keep, Sell, or Loan

On this week's podcast... We look back at the Braga game, and preview the Estoril game

On this week's episode....We recap the Famalicao game, touching up on referee mistakes, Mourinho decisions,and coincidences that happen to often to seem coincidences. We also look ahead to this monday's game against Braga.

On this week's podcast...With Sporting's slip up, we find ourselves back in control of our destiny, as it pertains to locking in second place. We look back at the Moreirense game, look ahead to the tough Famalicao game, and wrap up our Manco King Bracket, by crowning our Manco King.

On this week's episode... We discuss the Derby, Mourinho's influence, and Trubin. We also look ahead to Moreirense and our Manco Madness Bracket, where we look at the Embarrassing 8 and decide who makes the Failure 4

On this week's episode... We briefly discuss the games against Nacional and Casa Pia, look ahead to the Eternal Derby, and get through the round of 16 in our Manco Madness bracket

Inspired by March Madness, the boys brought out their brackets to crown the Manco King, complete with seeds and all, the boys complete round one, and select their Sub Par 16 in this first round of match ups.

On the eve of yet another International Break, we recap the Vitoria game and look ahead to what Benfica has left on their calendar

On this week's podcast.. we recap the Arouca game, and look ahead to Vitoria de Guimaraes

On this week's podcast.. Apologies for the echo in the beginning of the podcast, issues get fixed. We recap the Classico and look ahead to Arouca

On this week's podcast.. we recap the Gil Vicente game, and look ahead to the Classico

On this week's podcast...We recap the AFS game, and the Real Madrid games, and look ahead to Gil Vicente.

On this week's episode.. we start off by discussing the Santa Clara game, and then turn our attention to the Real Madrid game where we offer our opinion on the incidents of the game. Racism has no place in the world, being on a football pitch or at the highest forms of government. The truth is that only Prestiani and vini jr know what was said and what was heard, that's not defending or blaming one or the other, the biggest thing is that there shouldn't be any tolerance for racism, and should be punished and eradicated from society. We close up by looking ahead to AVS.

On this week's podcast.. We recap the Alverca game, discuss on what will happen with the former starters, when they are ready to play, if they will replace the players that have gotten this team to more positive play, we also looked ahead to Santa Clara and Real Madrid match ups.

On this week's podcast,,,We recap the tie against Tondela, offer our opinion on Benfica's winter transfer window, and look ahead to Alverca, and the rest of the games happening in February.

On this week's podcast... We look back at the Estrela and Epic Real Madrid games, and look ahead to Tondela

On this week's podcast... We recap the Rio Ave and Juventus games, and look ahead to Estrela da Amadora

On this week's podcast...We start off by questioning whether Benfica's season is over in January after the exit from the Portuguese Cup. We discuss the Porto game, and look ahead to Juventus and Rio Ave

On this week's podcast....We catch up on all the games from the holiday period, recap the Estoril and Braga games, and look ahead to Portuguese Cup game against Porto.

On this week's podcast...We recap the Moreirense and Farense games, discuss Mourinho's Impact. and look ahead to Famalicao

After a few weeks of absence the boys are back for another episode. Napoli and Sporting recaps, and a look ahead to Moreirense

On this week's podcast.. We breakdown the Vitoria win, look ahead to Leverkusen and Casa Pia, and the final round of the elections for the club's presidency.

On this week's episode.. We recap the Arouca and Tondela games, we spend some time talking about the election, and look ahead to the Vitoria game

On this week's podcast.. We recap the Chaves and Newcastle games, and look ahead to Arouca. All on the eve of Benfica's elections which take place this Saturday 10/25

React to Joao Manteigas Benfica Independente Interview

on this week's podcast... It wasn't the result we wanted, but it was the result we needed. We breakdown the Porto game.

On this week's podcast... We start off by recapping the Gil Vicente game, and the Chelsea game, then we looked ahead to the Classico this weekend.

On this week's podcast... It's the start of the Mourinho reign, we recap the AFS an Rio Ave games, and look ahead to Gil Vicente and Chelsea

On this week's podcast... We breakdown the Santa Clara and Quarabag games, and in the wake of Lage's firing we discuss Mourinho as Benfica's imminent next coach.

On this week's podcast..We take advantage of international break to bring you our reaction to Benfica Independentes interview of Joao Noronha Lopes interview

On this week's podcast... we catch you up with the first domestice games, UCL qualifying and the next stage, and gave you our opinion on the new signings thus far

On this week's podcast... We look back at the double fixture against Nice, and look ahead to Benfica's debut in the Portuguese league against Estrela da Amadora

On the inaugural podcast of the 25/26 season, we catch you up on all the ongoings of the offseason and the start of the season

On this week's podcast... We recap the incidents of the Portuguese Cup, and the fan favorite Keep, Sell, Loan segment.

thanks for all your support this season.

On this week's podcast.. we look back at the last game of the season, and the disappointing tie, and look ahead to the Portuguese Cup final against Sporting.

On this week's podcast...Derby takes priority, everything came together, the team was another story. We also looked ahead to the final game of regular season

On this week's podcast....We look back at the Estoril win, and we invited Eric Krakauer to preview the derby

On this week's episode...We recap the Tirsense and AFS game, and look ahead to Estoril

On this week's podcast.. After dropping points last weekend, Benfica was faced with a challenge against Vitoria. Despite the result being better than the performance, a crucial win to get the team back on track. We also look forward to Tirsense, and AFS.

On this week's podcast.. We catch you up on the lates, brush through the Porto game, the Tirsense game, and recap the Arouca debacle. lastly we look ahead to Vitoria another key game in the final stretch of the season

On this week's podcast.. We recap the Gil Vicente, and Farense games, and look ahead to the Classico

On this week's podcast... We look back at the win against Nacional, the loss to Barcelona that saw us say goodbye to Europe, and looked ahead to Rio Ave

On this week's episode.... We recap the Braga and Barcelona games, and look ahead to Nacional.

On this week's podcast...We recap the Santa Clara, Monaco and Boavista games, and look ahead Braga

On this week's podcast...We recap the Moreirense and Monaco game, and look ahead to Santa Clara and Monaco's 2nd leg

After rising to the occasion in Turin, it was right back to earth at the Reboleira, we recap both the Juventus and Estrela game, look ahead to Moreirense and Monaco, and catch you up on the winter transfer window

On this week's podcast... we look back at the Casa Pia loss, Bruno Lage's audio and subsequent presser, and look ahead to Juve and Estrela

On this week's podcast...It was a strange week for Benfica, first the Barreiro hat trick against Fama, then the Pavlidis hat trick against Barcelona, in a game Benfica scored 4 goals but still came out on the losing end, with some refereeing controversy also.

On this week's podcast... we look back at Benfica's win in the League Cup final against Sporting, the Portuguese Cup win against Farense, and look ahead to Famalicao and Barcelona.

On this week's podcast.. We recap both Braga games, and look ahead to the League Cup final against Sporting.

On this week's episode...Unfortunately we have to recap the Sporting debacle, we also look ahead to the double header against Braga.

On this week's podcast... We recap the Nacional and Estoril games, and look ahead to the derby against Sporting.

On this week's podcast... After the initial effect of Lage's arrival the team seems, to have not progressed into the next stage. Is it tired legs? lack of ideas? We discuss the games against Bologna, ASS, and preview Nacional and Estoril

On this week's podcast....After a 2 week absence we are back to do what Benfica is doing, catching up, Quick run through Estrela, Monaco, and Arouca, a full recap of Vitoria and a look ahead to Bologna and AFS

On this week's podcast...It's all about the classico.

On this week's podcast...We start off by discussing the poor performance against Farense, where the result was really the best we could have gotten for the game. Next we discuss the game against Bayern, and Lage's tactical approach, along with the mental approach. Lastly we look ahead to the classico, a must win game against our rivals from up north

On this week's podcast... After a poor game against Feyenoord, the team needed to answer, and answer they did, with 5 goals against Rio Ave and 3 against Santa Clara, we recap both games, ans look ahead to Farense and Bayern

On this week's podcast...It's been a while, after the fog at the Choupana, and the international break, we are back to recap Pevidem and Feyonord, and look ahead to Rio Ave.

On this week's podcast...We start off by breaking down the Gil Vicente game, then turn our attention to what everyone wants to talk about, the Atletico game, we finish off by looking ahead to the Nacional away game.

ON this week's podcast...We start off by recapping the Boavista game, talk about Benfica's Portuguese Cup draw against Pevidem, and finish off by previewing the Gil Vicente game.

On this week's podcast... We open up the podcast by discussing the arrival of Bruno Lage, touch up on the LFV interview. We also recap the Santa Clara game, and look ahead to UCL @ Red Star and Boavista Domestically.

On this week's podcast...Roger Schmidt has finally been sacked, We touch up on the Moreirense game, discuss and rate the transfer window, and discuss the names that have been associated with the coaching job at Benfica

On this week's podcast... We recap the Estrela game, look ahead to Moreirense, and talk about transfer rumors.

On this week's podcast...It was the same recipe for Roger, it was a good thing he added the necessary spices to get Benfica's first win of the season. Plus, Joao Mario's jeers, Neres sale, and a look ahead to Estrela da Amadora

On this episode...Benfica kicked off the season in the same manner they finished the last. We recap the Famalicao game, Roger's line up choices and ponder his future. We discuss the possible Neres exit, and preview the Casa Pia game.

On the first episode of the new season....We catch up on pre-season topics, from Otamendi at the Olympics, to The Joao Neves sale, we got you covered.

Last episode of the season, you know what that means.

On this week's podcast... We recap the Arouca game, Rafa's Luz goodbye, and the curtain closer at Rio Ave

On this week's podcast... We look back at Benfica's loss in Famalicao that handed the title to Sporting, we discuss Otamendi's words at the end of the game, and look ahead to the final home game of the season.

On this week's podcast...We look back at the Braga game, wonder if with 2nd place now clinched, Roger will start working on getting minutes to the less used players, and the ones on his plan for the next season. We briefly touch up on what AVB's Porto could mean for Benfica a few years down the road, and we wrap up by previewing Famalicao

On this week's episode...We look back at Benfica's elimination from the Europa League, recap the Farense game, and look ahead to Braga

On this week's podcast... We look back at the first leg match against Marseille, Roger Schmidt's changes against Moreirense, and we look ahead to the second leg, and a trip to Algarve to play Farense

On this week's podcast.. We look back at the SPorting match which put Benfica far away from the title, and we looked ahead to Marseille and Moreirense.

After a pale performance against Chaves, it's decision week, with 2 matches against Sporting, We recap the exit of the cup, and look ahead to the domestic clash that can set the stage for the rest of the season.

On this week's podcast...We open it up to the listeners

On this week's podcast... We recap the Sporting loss, the embarrassment at the dragao, and look ahead to Rangers and Estoril.

On this week's podcast... We recap both the Toulouse and Portimonense games, and look ahead to the Derby against Sporting, for the Portuguese Cup and porto for the league.

On this week's podcast...We look back at the Toulouse and Vizela games, and look ahead to the 2nd leg in France and Portimonense.

On this week's podcast.. We recap Benfica's Cup game against Vizela, the monsoon in Guimaraes, and look ahead to the start of the Europa League campaign when Benfica hosts Toulouse.

On this week's episode...We recap the Gil Vicente and Frederik Aursnes return to the midfield. We look ahead to Vizela, and Vitoria.

On this week's podcast... we look back at the Estoril and Amadora games, and wonder what is Roger thinking on some of the decisions he makes. We also looked ahead to Gil Vicente, and the transfer market.

On this week's podcast..We look back and the Braga and Rio Ave games, look ahead to Boavista and new signings.

On this week's podcast... We look back at Benfica's win against Arouca, look ahead to the Portuguese Cup clash against Braga, and preview the last game of the first round against Rio Ave

On this week's podcast... On the first podcast of the new year, we look back at the Famalicao game, look ahead to Arouca, and bring you up to speed on all the comings and goings of the newly opened transfer window

On this week's podcast.. We recap the win against AVS, and open it up to the audience to speak their mind on the season, signings, Europa League and the January transfer window.

Happy New Year

On this week's podcast...We start by looking at Benfica's League Cup match against AVS. As Cristiano joined the discussion we looked at the Braga win, and lastly we discuss Benfica's EL playoff match up against Toulose

On this week's podcast...We look back at the game against Farense, discuss the near field incidents between the fans and RS, and Rui Costa's response time. We also recapped Salzburg and Benfica clinching a spot in the EL, lastly we looked ahead to Braga.

On this week's podcast... We look back at the two ties against Inter and Moreirense, and look ahead to Farense and the EL or bust game against Salzburg.

On this week's podcast... We look back at the Famalicao game, wonder if Roger will continue to ride Tengstedt, and if Benfica is finally on the up and up. We also looked ahead to the Inter and Moreirense game.