Benfica's Curse Ends Today! Benfica vs Chelsea May 15, 2013

It was 51 years ago in which Benfica won their last European title in ironically enough Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam, Holland. Today Amsterdam hosts the UEFA Europa League Final as 2012 UEFA Champions League winners Chelsea face the underdogs Benfica.

ON PAPER

Benfica have just come off a brutal series of games that included a crucial 90 +1 " lost to FC Porto which may have cost Benfica winning the Liga Zon Sagres to Porto. Although, there is one game left in the Liga, Benfica need to not only defeat last place team Moreirense but hope that 2013/14 newly promoted UEFA Champions League 3rd place Pacos De Ferreira tie or defeat the current first place FC Porto.

Although it has been a long season and both teams are experiencing some fatigue, both teams will tough it out for the silverware. We are all aware that this is NOT the UEFA Champions League Title, however, winning a UEFA Europa League still makes you a winner in Europe and wouldn't teams like Inter Milan, Tottenham, and Zenit be happy with winning a European title as oppose to no title at all?

For Benfica, they will be without veteran right - back Maxi Perreira as he is suspended because of the accumulative yellow cards. More then likely, Benfica will play a 4-2-3-1 system which is a format often used for these games. The lineup may look like this;

Artur; Andre Almeida; Luisao; Garay; Melgarejo; Enzo; Matic; Salvio; John; Gaitan; Cardozo

One can argue playing Lima behind Cardozo, however Benfica has to be strong in the mid if they want to press against the likes of Ramires, and Juan Mata. Players like Gaitan and Salvio and John will definitely give Chelsea a hard time on the flanks. I suggest to Benfica coach JJ that if Benfica are up 2 goals in the 80" I say put in Aimar as a thank you send off for his great work at the team over the years. 

For Chelsea, they have been injury prone as of late. They will be without captain John Terry, John Mikel Obel, Eden Hazzard, and Ryan Bertrand which are all key players. Ex- Benfica stars Ramires and David Luiz will be in Chelsea's starting 11. Luiz has a place in his heart for Benfica and has said in the past "If Football was about passion, then I would of stayed at Benfica."

KEY FACTOR

Although the EPL is long gone and Manchester United have prevailed league winners in 2013, Chelsea has no silverware left to play for. This may be a key factor for Chelsea and may motivate them

Benfica is going into this game as the underdog. The reality is that it was only last year that Benfica played Chelsea in the Quarter- Finals stages and were praised by Football critics. Although, Chelsea went through to win the UEFA Champions League, anyone who saw the Benfica vs Chelsea games praised Benfica's performance and if it wasn't for a fluke goal by Raul Meireles and 2 hand balls from John Terry (which were not called) Benfica would of advanced farther in the competition. The point being, as long as Benfica go into the game with the mind set to win and give it all of their best they can come out of this game victorious.

THE CURSE

Before Mourinho there was Guttman. A ex- Jewish, Hungarian player with confidence and arrogance. He told it how it was and was often referred to "Irrating and Erratic". Guttman coached such teams as AC Milan, and FC Porto. In 1959 after winning the league with FC Porto, Guttman became Benfica's coach. His philosophy was simple, focus more on attacking and less on defense. This is a philosophy that he adapted from the powerful Hungarian National Team of the 1950's. 

While at Benfica Guttman released 22 Benfica players his first season and added 2 new players. He was a big supporter of Benfica youth and looked at their junior teams to step up. Guttman only lasted 2 years at the helm, he won 2 back - to- back Portuguese League Titles, 1 Portuguese Cup title and Benfica made history as being the only Portuguese team to win 2 back - to- back European Championship titles in 1961 and 1962. 

At the end of all of this, Guttman did what most coaches would do, he marched into the Benfica President's office and asked for a raise. When Benfica president António Carlos Cabral Fezas Vital, refused, Gutman proclaimed;

 “Without me not in a hundred years from now will Benfica win a European Cup”

BENFICA EUROPEAN HISTORY

If Guttman's predictions are correct then Benfica will only win their next European title in 2062. By then, I will be 79 years old. If we look at Benfica's European history, and the teams that they played in European competitions, would Guttman of made the difference? 

The superstitious people would say yes where as the normal, level headed soccer individual would say no. Football like everything changes in time. In the 1968 final would anyone have predicted that Manchester United would of scored 3 goals in extra time? In 1988, the title was decided on penalty kicks in which at this point it's 50/50 for both teams and luck is the biggest factor then strategy. Finally, in 1990 AC Milan had an incredible team including such legends as Van Basten, and Rijkaard and they had just come off of 2 back to back UEFA Champions League victories, the surprise of that game was that Benfica only lost 1-0. 

Benfica has 9 European Championship Finals which makes them the seventh team in Europe with the most Championship appearances. (Real Madrid, Ac Milan, Ajax, Nottingham Forrest, Liverpool, Bayern Munich) Here is a list of Benfica finals:

1960–61 (3-2 Win Barcelona) 
1961–62 (5-3 win Real Madrid.)
1962–63,(lost 2-1 AC Milan) 

1964–65,(1-0 lost to Inter) 

1967–68,(4-1 loss to Manchester United in extra time) 

1982–83 UEFA Cup.(2-1 loss to Anderlecht on Agg)

1987–88 (6-5 loss on PK to PSV,) 

1989–90 (1-0 loss to Milan) 

2012-13 vs Chelsea

Also, Benfica have 13 semi - final appearances with 9 wins and 4 loses, and 27 Quarter - Final appearances in European competition. 

LAST WORDS

As a fan I am in a state of Euphoria. Words cannot express the excitement that I feel about this team. My wife sometimes asks me if I love Benfica more then her. I often respond "I love you both the same."

This championship is important for many reasons

1) It will guarantee Jorge Jesus a contract renewal at the helm

2) Benfica fans have been waiting 51 years for a European title to return to Lisbon

3) Dedicated players like Luisao, Cardozo, Maxi, Aimar, Martins, deserve it. These are guys who have put in their blood, sweat, and tears for 5, even 10 years at Benfica

4) We want to show the world that Benfica is not some rinky dinky team. 

5) Portugal has now moved up in the European co-efficient passing France. Benfica winning today will grant 3 Portuguese teams in next year's Champions Leagues and an extra 3-4 in Europa League. That's incredible for Portugal (As long as one of those teams is Benfica)

Where there is history, there is passion.