 He made his competitive debut on 5 August, starting in the 3–1 victory over Vitória S.C. for the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira.His first appearance in the UEFA Champions League took place on 12 September, in a 1–2 group stage home loss to PFC CSKA Moscow.On 16 September 2017, Varela committed a blunder which resulted in a 1–2 away defeat against Boavista FC.