Fulham will continue their preparations for the 2022-23 campaign with a pre-season friendly against Portuguese giants Benfica on Sunday night.

Marco Silva's side will also be in action against Nice on Saturday, while Benfica will take on the French outfit on Friday evening, with both sides looking ahead to the return of competitive action.

Match preview

Benfica finished third in Portugal's top flight last season, picking up 74 points from their 34 matches, which left them 17 points behind the champions Porto.

The Eagles have won the Primeira Liga on 37 occasions, making them comfortably the most successful side in the country in terms of top-flight championships, but they have not lifted the title since 2019.

Roger Schmidt's side opened their preparations for the new campaign with a 2-0 victory over Reading on July 9, and they will be in action against Nice on Friday evening before facing Fulham 48 hours later.

The Portuguese side will also take on Newcastle United on July 26 before beginning their 2022-23 campaign at home to Arouca on August 6.

Benfica have been busy this summer in terms of additions, with David Neres, Enzo Fernandez, Joao Vitor, Alexander Bah, Petar Musa and Mihalio Ristic all arriving, but they have lost star striker Darwin Nunez, with the 23-year-old joining Liverpool in a big-money deal.

Fulham, meanwhile, will play their first friendly of the summer against Nice on Saturday evening before taking to the field again 24 hours later against Benfica.

The London club will also face Estoril Praia as part of their Portugal tour before returning to England, with Villarreal their final opponents of the summer at Craven Cottage on July 31.

Silva's side will then begin their 2022-23 Premier League campaign against Liverpool on August 6 before travelling to Wolverhampton Wanderers in their second fixture of the campaign.

Fulham secured a return to the top flight for the coming season by winning the Championship last term, finishing at the summit with 90 points from their 46 matches, which left them two points clear of second-place Bournemouth and eight clear of Huddersfield Town in third.

The Cottagers have made two signings thus far this summer, bringing in Joao Palhinha from Sporting Lisbon and Andreas Pereira from Manchester United, while their two major outgoings have been Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa to Napoli and Fabio Carvalho to Liverpool.

Team News

Benfica are likely to have a number of their new signings on display in this match, with Neres, Fernandez, Victor, Bah, Musa and Ristic all available for selection.

Neres could feature on the right for the Portuguese outfit, while Fernandez and Victor could play in central midfield and central defence respectively, with Musa potentially operating up front.

Eagles boss Schmidt is getting used to his players, so there will be a number of alterations throughout the contest, with the new manager needing to fully assess his squad.

As for Fulham, head coach Silva will make full use of his squad in this contest, especially as the match comes just 24 hours after they face Nice.

New signings Pereira and Palhinha will both be hoping to feature for the Premier League side, while Aleksandar Mitrovic, who scored 43 Championship goals last season, could lead the line.

There are also likely to be chances for a number of young players to impress, but there should also be plenty of familiar faces in the shape of Harry Wilson, Harrison Reed and Kenny Tete.

Benfica possible starting lineup:
Vlachodimos; Bah, Victor, Otamendi, Grimaldo; Fernandez, Mario, Weigl; Neres, Musa, Ramos

Fulham possible starting lineup:
Gazzaniga; Tete, Kongolo, Adarabioyo, Bryan; Palhinha, Reed, Pereira; Reid, Mitrovic, Wilson

We say: Benfica 2-2 Fulham

It is difficult to know exactly what to expect from this match, as both sides will play Nice before clashing on Sunday night. It should be an open and entertaining affair between two teams that like to play football, though, so we are backing an entertaining 2-2 draw in this pre-season contest.

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