Eliseu Pereira dos Santos, better known simply as Eliseu, has agreed a new one-year contract with Benfica, which ties him to the club until summer 2018. The 33-year old left-back, who turns 34 in October, was granted an extended vacation this summer due to his participation in the Confederations cup. He was due to report back to the club's Seixal training base on July 22nd, but returned early in order to sign his contract and play in the Algarve cup.

Rui Vitória has selected 28 players to participate in the Algarve Cup. André Almeida is unavailable with a bruised right thigh, and is replaced by Benfica B right-back Aurélio Buta.

Luisão is fit again after recovering from a knee injury. Eliseu, Samaris, Zivković, João Carvalho and Mitroglou return after extended summer vacations, but Grimaldo, Raúl and Pizzi are still on holiday. Ferro, Pêpê and Heriberto have all rejoined Benfica B. Salvio (ankle) and Krovinović (hernia) remain sidelined.

Benfica face Real Betis on Thursday and Hull City on Saturday. Both games will take place at the Estádio do Algarve at 20:30 local time.

Goalkeepers: Júlio César, Paulo Lopes and Bruno Varela

Defenders: Lisandro, Luisão, Kalaica, Eliseu, Pedro Pereira, Jardel, Hermes, Rúben Dias and Aurélio Buta

Midfielders: Fejsa, Filipe Augusto, Samaris, André Horta, Carrillo, Zivković, Cervi, Willock, Chrien, Diogo Gonçalves, João Carvalho and Rafa Silva

Forwards: Jonas, Mitroglou, Seferović and Arango

Benfica right-back Nélson Semedo has joined Barcelona, signing a five-year contract with the club ranked third in the latest UEFA rankings. The 23-year old fills a void that the Catalans have failed to satisfactorily address since the departure of Dani Alves to Juventus in June 2016.

Rui Vitória has named a 25-man squad to participate in the Uhren Cup in Switzerland. Luisão has been ruled out with a knee complaint, while summer signing Filip Krovinović is still recovering from hernia surgery. Eduardo Salvio has a sprained right ankle.

Recent arrivals Martin Chrien, Haris Seferović, Chris Willock, Cristian Arango and Bruno Varela go straight into the squad. Vitória has also handed opportunities to Benfica B regulars Branimir Kalaica, Rúben Dias, Ferro, Pêpê, Heriberto and Diogo Gonçalves.

Mitroglou, Grimaldo, Samaris, Zivković, João Carvalho, Pizzi, Nélson Semedo, Eliseu and Raúl have yet to return from their summer holidays.

The Eagles take on Neuchâtel Xamax at 19:00 (UK/Portuguese time) on Thursday at the Stadion Brühl, and Young Boys at 16:00 on Saturday at the Tissot Arena.

Goalkeepers: Júlio César, Bruno Varela and Paulo Lopes

Defenders: Jardel, Lisandro, Kalaica, Rúben Dias, Ferro, Pedro Pereira, André Almeida and Hermes

Midfielders: Fejsa, Filipe Augusto, Pêpê, André Horta, Chrien, Heriberto, Carrillo, Cervi, Rafa Silva, Diogo Gonçalves and Willock

Forwards: Jonas, Seferović and Arango

The upcoming 2017/18 Liga NOS draw took place yesterday in Porto.

Benfica will open the league season at home against Braga, which is set to kick-off on Wednesday 9th August. Both clubs have yet to confirm the date on their official websites.

December 2017 will see Benfica travel to Porto and host Sporting Lisbon in the space of three weeks.

The last two games of the season will be a visit to the Estádio José Alvalade for the Lisbon derby on the weekend of 5/6 May, and the final game will be at the Estádio da Luz against Moreirense a week later.

Colombian forward Cristian Arango has joined the Eagles from Millionarios for an undisclosed fee. The 22-year old is the first player to move between Millionarios and Benfica since the two teams announced a new sporting partnership last November. The Colombian club is believed to have retained a 50% share of the player’s economic rights. Arango is not entirely new to Europe, having spent the 2015/16 season with Valencia B. He has signed a five-year contract with Benfica.

Benfica have added another talented youngster to their ranks in the form of Slovakian youth international Martin Chrien. The 21-year old central midfielder joins from Czech side Viktoria Plzeň, after impressing at the under-21 European Championships this summer, where he scored against England and Sweden, and bagged an assist against Poland. He has signed a five-year contract with the Eagles. The fee has not been disclosed, but is believed to be around €1 million.

Cristian Arango has been heavily linked with Benfica for several months now, and reports emerging from Portugal and Colombia suggest that his transfer is imminent. So who is Arango, and what will he bring to Benfica? We asked South American football expert Jordan Russell.

According to the Portuguese press, Arsenal starlet Chris Willock is poised for a surprise move to Benfica B. We caught up with Mosope Ominiyi, youth team correspondent of the Arsenal fansite Daily Cannon, to get the lowdown on the teenage forward.