Before the duel with Bayern
©IMAGO
João Palhinha has been looking forward to this football evening in his new home of Munich for a long time. FC Bayern against Benfica Lisbon is “a very special game” for the Portugal international. The 29-year-old wasn’t just born in Lisbon. He played there for Sporting, Benfica’s big city rivals. Apparently his memories of the games against the Eagles are clouded.
“My assessment is positive,” Palhinha said at the press conference on Tuesday. And of course he really wants to leave the field as a winner in the Champions League this Wednesday (9 p.m.). In fact, this statement is wrong. A look at the TM database shows that he has competed against the Portuguese record champions eleven times since 2015 with Moreirense FC, CF Os Belenenses, SC Braga and Sporting and has only emerged victorious three times in eight defeats.
Even if you only look at his time at Sporting and the direct city derbies, the statement is not entirely correct. Of the four games, two were won and two lost, the goal difference is slightly negative at 6:7. Only if you only take into account the time in which Palhinha was on the field can you see a positive trend. In the 3:4 (1:3) on the 33rd matchday of the 2020/21 season, the current Bayern professional came on as a substitute around half time and contributed to the second 45 minutes being won 2:1. If you count this game as a win, his record in the derbies with Sporting against Benfica would actually be positive (3 wins, 1 loss).
Game for FC Bayern “like a final” – Palhinha’s family “more like Benfica fans”
After the recent defeats at Aston Villa and FC Barcelona, it is already “like a final” for Palhinha on matchday 4 of the league phase for FC Bayern. “It’s a special game,” he said. Also because his family are “more Benfica fans”. The defensive player, who moved from FC Fulham to Munich in the summer a year late for 51 million euros, now feels like he has arrived at the new club. Since national player Aleksandar Pavlovic broke his collarbone, he has been in midfield for coach Vincent Kompany.
The coach doesn’t believe that Palhinha, who defends resolutely and also likes to tackle at times, could be overly motivated against Benfica. “Emotions are part of football. But this is not about a 19-year-old player, but an experienced one. I hope it will be a great story for him in the end,” Kompany said.
