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Benfica play Fiorentina in their second International Champions Cup game on Friday, with the reigning Portuguese domestic champions looking to bounce back from a narrow defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in their opening match. They conceded twice in the final half-hour as the French giants consigned them to a 3-2 defeat, despite PSG coach Laurent Blanc playing a heavily rotated team.
Fiorentina fared a goal worse when they took on PSG, with goals from Joaquín and Giuseppe Rossi mere consolations in a 4-2 defeat -- albeit with the Tuscan side taking on a stronger lineup than Benfica. Still, their new coach Paulo Sousa will be hoping they perform better against a team closer to their standard -- and, coincidentally, the team at which he started his professional playing career over 25 years ago.
Fun Benfica fringe player to watch: Filip Đuričić
23-year-old Serbian international Filip Đuričić moved to Benfica after starring at Dutch side Heerenveen in 2013, though he hasn't been able to establish himself as a regular at any club since. He was shipped out on loan to both Mainz and Southampton last season, but remained a fringe player. If he's to finally deliver on the promise that Manchester United once saw in him, he's going to have to take his chance this season.
Fun Fiorentina fringe player to watch: Federico Bernardeschi
With Fiorentina having seemingly missed out on converting Mohamed Salah's loan deal into a permanent one, they're likely to be a little more reliant this season on talented young winger Federico Bernardeschi, who played in the second half of the defeat to PSG. How and when he features in this game could give us more of an idea of Sousa's plans for the young Italian over the upcoming campaign.
Compared to other friendlies, is this worth my time?
Probably not. 3/10.
Match date/time: Friday, 8:05 p.m. local/ET
Venue: Rentschler Field, East Hartford, United States
TV: FOX Sports 2 (U.S. - English), ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), PremiumSport HD (Italy)
Online: FOX Sports Go, FOX Soccer 2 Go, Watch ESPN (U.S.)