The season ran from 1 July 1996 to 30 June 1997; Benfica competed domestically in the Primeira Divisão and the Taça de Portugal.

In May and June Benfica, lost four times in five match-days, and hit new record lows, both in number of losses and points to league winner.

In the wake of a Cup-winning campaign, Benfica opened the new season by appointing a new manager, Paulo Autuori, who had been working with the club for past six months.

[1][2] The season began with the first leg of the 1996 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira against FC Porto, bringing a one-goal deficit back.

However, the contend quickly became an unbalanced one, with Porto scoring five goals to none, as Preud'Homme prevented an even darker outcome[5][2] The team was not disturbed by this defeat, and continued racking up consecutive league wins, even achieving a two-point lead over the second place; while the results in Europe were looking accordingly.

Three managers pass through the bench to use 34 players and put Benfica in an unpleasant third place, with ten losses and at 27 points from the first (both club records).

The grief increased in January, with three straight losses, which did not happen in 40 years – Lusitano de Èvora, Belenenses and Sporting in October/November of 1957.

[6] Affected by the defeat, Benfica lost for a second time on a row, with the priority changing from battling Porto in the title race, to defending the second place from Sporting.

José's first game was a difficult visit to Braga; Benfica equalized one-nil and brought a point home, but lost two for Sporting.

[10] With the advantage of receiving smaller teams at home in the knock-out stages, Benfica progressed to the semi-finals after beating Dragões Sandinenses in the quarter-final, meeting Porto next.

On the last day of April, the club defeated Porto by two-nil with goals from Valdir and Edgar Pacheco, reaching a second consecutive Portuguese Cup final, where they enter as title-holders.