There was a time, not so long ago, when a European clash down between Arsenal and Benfica would certainly be a big Champions League game.
There was also a time that when knowing the Eagles would face the Gunners, the Portuguese media would get quite hyped up by the big challenge they’d have ahead.
However, with Benfica now playing Arsenal in the Europa League’s round-of-32, the coverage is mostly about the bad form the London side are going through.
Outlet Record brings a piece with a headline saying: ‘Crisis of results… this is Benfica’s opponent in the Europa League’
Record names David Luiz, Granit Xhaka, Mezut Ozil and Sokratis Papastathopoulos as the players who turned their backs on the manager, obviously taking claims from the British press, and highlights the plight of William Saliba.
With Arsenal looking clearly fragile, the outlet finishes their story with a paragraph which probably gives Benfica fans even more courage to face the Gunners.
‘Arsenal have lost the last four home games, something that hasn’t happened since 1959. Wednesday, the Gunners host Southampton, a meeting that could be decisive with regard to Mikel Arteta’s future at the Emirates Stadium.’
This is probably the biggest story as it comes from Portugal’s biggest sports newspaper.
But websites aren’t taking it easy either, as Mais Futebol goes in pretty strong as well.
They have a headline saying ‘Arsenal: a giant in decline’, and a story which starts with: ‘The golden age of Arsenal is over. During Wenger’s 22-year reign, the Gunners almost always qualified for the Champions League, but the continued decline in recent years has thrown them into the Europa League. In fact, the English club only qualified for this competition having won the FA Cup, as they finished the league in eighth place.’
