Darwin Nunez and Adel Taarabat spent Saturday morning at the Sixal Training and Training Center while their teammates enjoyed a day off, in the wake of Benfica’s victory over Tondela, the day before yesterday, at the Joao Cardoso stadium.

The Uruguayan striker and the Moroccan midfielder share hope and optimism to recover from the classic match with FC Porto on Thursday in Luz, and Jorge Jesus depends on them in the face of the dragons.

Darwin Nunez had an unexpected absence the day before yesterday at Tondela. He is upset with a problem with his right knee that has been going on since January. The situation did not cause concern in Luz, the difficulties faced by the 21-year-old striker are known and Jorge Jesus may have already spoken on the subject. He explained that Darwin Nunez was having difficulties with speed, rotation and braking movements, and he admitted that the physical problem had robbed the young man of his self-confidence.

The Uruguayan attacker was in Cuxal yesterday, undergoing treatment. Today he will be re-evaluated by the medical department, which will assess whether he will be able to train this morning with the team.

Meanwhile, Adel Taarabt lost the match to Tondela. And he was also unavailable for a Santa Clara match. The contention is a muscle injury to the anterior aspect of the left thigh. The 31-year-old has shared recovery photos on Instagram. Yesterday he was also undergoing treatment at Seixal.

Read more in the print version or Digital From the ball