Milan – Benfica: When 36 Names Rewrite the Europa League Rulebook

A draw at Lazio's ground. Two goals conceded in the first half. And a quiet comeback. That is how Milan enters this Europa League season — not with a spectacular victory, but with the ability to rise after being knocked down.

Benfica arrives at the opening matchday on the back of a 3-1 win over Gil Vicente. The two sides meet in the first round of the 36-team league phase — the new Europa League format introduced from the 2026 season. It is also the first time Milan and Benfica have met under the competition's current structure.

But before discussing the match, we need to discuss the context.

The 36-team format has changed everything

The Europa League no longer uses the traditional group stage. Instead, there is a single 36-team table played under the Swiss system. Each team plays eight matches — four at home, four away — against eight different opponents.

The final position in the table decides everything. The top eight teams qualify directly for the knockout stage. Teams ranked ninth to twenty-fourth go into a play-off. The rest are eliminated at the league phase.

This means an opening matchday is no longer a "warm-up". Every point carries weight. Every conceded goal could become a debt to be repaid at the end of the season.

For Milan, appearing in the Europa League rather than the Champions League is itself a signal about last season. For Benfica, this is familiar territory — a club that regularly features in continental competition but rarely crosses the Champions League quarter-final threshold.

Both sides enter this match with the goal of "starting on the right foot". In football language, that is a familiar phrase. But in the 36-team format, it means something else: three points on the opening matchday is not just three points — it is a safety cushion for the eight-match road ahead.

Form: thin evidence, thick expectation

After four Serie A matchdays, Milan has two wins and two draws. They are unbeaten. That number sounds positive, and it genuinely is. But how they preserved the unbeaten run is what matters.

The Lazio match is an example. Milan went 0-2 down, then drew 2-2. A second-half comeback, with goals coming from different sources. Christian Pulisic, entering after injury, left his mark with an assist.

That is a signal about squad depth. But it is also a signal about dependency.

Benfica beat Gil Vicente 3-1. A positive result, but it was a win over a lesser opponent in the Portuguese domestic league. It says little about Benfica's ability against a Serie A side.

The problem here is that the data sample is too small. One recent match per side. Four domestic matchdays. Not enough to establish a trend.

And no xG, PPDA or possession figures have been offered as a foundation for any tactical conclusion. Every current-form judgment rests on rather thin ground.

Reliable data and data requiring verification

One notable point is that information surrounding this match comes from various sources, and not all of them are equally reliable.

Verifiable facts: Milan are unbeaten after four Serie A matchdays. Benfica beat Gil Vicente 3-1. The match belongs to the opening round of the 36-team Europa League league phase. It is the first meeting between the two clubs in the current format.

Facts requiring caution: details of the Lazio comeback, the specific role of each figure in the turnaround. In football, small details are often distorted through several layers of media. A careful football writer must verify player names across multiple sources, review footage at least twice, before offering a judgment.

Pulisic — the centre of attention

Christian Pulisic's name appears at the centre of every pre-match narrative. He has returned from injury. He assisted against Lazio. He is expected to be the decisive factor.

But this is the moment for caution.

A player returning from injury carries two types of risk. First, re-injury risk. Second, dependency risk — when a team places too much expectation on an individual who may not yet be at peak fitness.

For Milan, Pulisic is not merely an attacking player. He is a commercial icon, a bridge to the American market, the club's advertising face. His return is received by the media as an event. But the pitch does not read the media.

I count the seconds in the Japanese manner — not counting down, but counting what remains. That is how I view this match. Not looking at what the two teams have done, but at what they lack.

A different angle

There is a detail barely noticed in how the media approaches this match. It is the story of those sitting outside the spotlight.

While every camera points at Pulisic, at Milan's goals, at Benfica's victory, another class of players is quietly preparing. The right-back. The holding midfielder. The substitute goalkeeper. The men who will decide the match through moments that will not be replayed.

Modern football is usually told through glittering moments. But a Europa League match, in the 36-team format, is decided by less glamorous details: a well-timed block, a safe pass, a decision free of error.

The stadium is empty, yet I can still hear the applause of those at home. This match is broadcast live in several markets, including Mexico via ESPN2 and Disney+ Premium. A match between an Italian club and a Portuguese club, aired for audiences in Central America. That is evidence of the Europa League's globalisation — broadcasting revenue flowing across continents, every point on the opening matchday carrying its own commercial value.

What remains?

When the match ends, the 36-team table will have its first points. One team will have three. One team may have only one. And the narrative of "good form" will be rewritten in concrete numbers.

How many minutes will Pulisic play? Will he leave his mark? Can Milan preserve their unbeaten run in Europe? Can Benfica prove that a domestic win is a genuine signal, not a fleeting moment?

These questions will be answered after the final whistle. But one thing is certain: this is not a warm-up match. In the 36-team format, every match is part of the equation. And the club that understands this earliest will hold the long-term advantage.

A football story never begins at the first minute.

It begins earlier. In training sessions. In personnel decisions. In what a team carries onto the pitch — or what it has lost.