Marco Silva used his pre-match briefing for Marítimo-Benfica to put Benfica’s summer market under the spotlight, and the most striking message was that Richard Ríos is not closed off from a return. Silva said he never told the midfielder that he could not come back after the end of the one-season loan to Al Ittihad, and he made clear that the door remains open if the conditions allow it.
The comments landed on 4 September 2026, with Marítimo-Benfica set for Saturday at 18h00, and they quickly became the reason the fixture drew extra attention. Readers searching for Marítimo vs Benfica were not just looking for a match preview; they were looking for answers about what Benfica’s squad looks like now, who has moved on, and which roles are still being rebuilt before the next league step.
Silva grouped Ríos and Ivanovic together as departures driven by personal decisions, but he also drew a line between what happened and what remains possible. “A partir do momento que é nosso jogador, é sempre possível o regresso,” he said, adding that he had not had any conversation in which he told Ríos he could not come back. He said the midfielder arrived late, knew things would be difficult, and that Benfica had already brought in Palhinha for the central area.
That wider squad plan was part of the same message. Silva said Benfica are building around three players for the number 8 position, naming Fredrik, Ríos and Barreiro, which leaves the club with room to keep options open even after the summer movement. The structure matters because the coach was not speaking in vague terms about balance; he was describing a side that still has to fit players into specific jobs while the market continues to shape the team.
The same logic applied to Claudio Echeverri. Silva called him a player for the central corridor and said he can be a third midfielder, not an extreme. He added that the club does not believe the wide role fits him, preferring to see him as an attacking midfielder or second striker who can influence the game between the lines. For Benfica, that narrows the question and clarifies the answer: Echeverri is being slotted into the middle of the pitch, not pushed to the edge.
Silva’s remarks on the flanks were just as direct. Souffian Karouani, he said, will give Benfica a more attacking option than the other two full-backs, after the club sold a right-back, Dedic, who was not in the plans and strengthened the other side. On Lukebakio, Silva went even further, saying Benfica need a player with those characteristics and that there is no other winger in the squad who offers the same profile. In his view, the signing fills a gap, not a luxury.
That leaves Benfica with a clearer map than they had before the briefing, but not a finished one. The club can point to fresh depth in the centre, more attack from full-back and a specific answer on the wing, yet the return of Ríos and Ivanovic is still only a possibility. What Silva offered before Marítimo-Benfica was not a closing statement on the market, but a status report: some moves are done, some roles are defined, and at least one door is still open.
