Emirates Cup 2014: Benfica v Valencia Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview
Benfica will face off against Valencia on Sunday with both teams hoping to attain the best possible finish in this year's Emirates, with hosts Arsenal facing Monaco later in the day.
Two giants of the Iberian Peninsula will be hoping to give their pre-season preparations as positive a spin as possible, and this fixture could have been last term's Europa League final, had Los Che not fallen to Sevilla in the semi-finals.
With the domestic campaigns only around the corner, mounting morale at this stage of the calendar is crucial to a campaign, but both Jorge Jesus and Nuno Santo may maintain an air of experimentation in their line-ups.
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Date: Sunday, August 3
Time: 2 p.m. BST/9 a.m. ET
Live Stream: BT Sport Watch (U.K., subscription required), beIN Sports Play (U.S., subscription required)
TV Info: BT Sport 1 (U.K.), beIN Sports 3 (U.S.)
Key Players to Watch
Benfica: Talisca
Talisca's Benfica journey is only in its infancy, as is the 20-year-old himself, but already the attacking midfielder is causing waves as part of Portugal's elite.
The Brazilian signed for the Lisbon giants at the start of January before netting on his debut, a 1-0 win over Estoril, and showing that his superb form at former club Bahia may have been no short-term spark.
Sky Sports' South American correspondent, Paulo Freitas, rates the playmaker highly, despite barely being out of his teens, and has tipped the player for a big move in the future:
Against Valencia, Talisca will face a defence comprising some talented names, but should Oscar Cardozo feature, he'll have a significant hand in breaking that back line down.
That being said, his set piece has the potential to do damage on its own, and the Portuguese outfit would be careful to pay special attention to any dead balls Talisca tends to hover over.
Valencia: Nicolas Otamendi
Nicolas Otamendi is treading his first steps as a Valencia player this pre-season, having been loaned to Atletico Mineiro immediately following his transfer from Porto in February.
However, as beIN Sports shows, the defender's presence is already having an impact for the Spaniards, albeit not the one they might have expected this early on:
The Argentinian has the potential to be a source of stability at the back for Los Che, but for that to happen, Otamendi needs to be more familiar with the rest of those around him, a pursuit in which this summer's friendlies have been crucial.
Benfica will be a test of Champions League quality for the centre-back to take on and a relevant signifier as to how the stalwart is settling in at the club.
