Coach José Mourinho showed this Saturday (18) that he believed in Benfica’s competitive level for the visit to Sporting, in the 30th round of the Liga Portugal Betclic, aiming for the first triumph at the José Alvalade Stadium in four years.
“We are a difficult team for any opponent, no team has managed to have an easy game against us. I want to believe in this line of behavior and in our competitive level, believing in the work we did during the week. I have no reason not to believe it. We have to be pragmatic, coherent and humble in recognizing that we will have a very difficult game. Benfica hasn’t won in Alvalade for a long time and we’re going there to win”, considered the coach.
In a press conference before the classic, José Mourinho pointed out that “a derby is a derby”, whether in the championship or in a pre-season tournament, and, therefore, motivation is intrinsic in a team that, despite third place, is invincible.
“We have the same points that Benfica had last season, the points that allowed Benfica to fight for the championship until the last minute of the last game. This year, depending on the points that FC Porto has scored, they leave Benfica seven points behind the lead. Having not had a good season, under normal conditions we would be in a different situation. I would have preferred to have already lost, to have fewer draws and more points, but the unbeaten record says something positive about this team”, he stressed.
Aursnes, Ríos and Tomás Araújo ready for the classic
The coach revealed the availability of Tomás Araújo, Richard Ríos and Aursnes for the classic. “Aursnes trained all week without any type of limitations. He is well to play and will play, as I consider him a fundamental player. Tomás trained without limitations yesterday [sexta-feira] and today. Although we still have a brief session tomorrow [domingo]I believe it is also in good condition. Ríos is fine. He didn’t train at the beginning of the week, but from then on he trained full time,” he said.
José Mourinho sought during the week to “reduce as much as possible the unpredictability of the nature of a football game”, by exploring different concepts to prepare his team for the game, without, however, being able to create futurology for the classic.
“Sporting needs to win and Benfica needs to win. The only thing a draw will give is Sporting greater security in relation to second place, but it is something that does not interest them. Sport’s only focus is on winning the championship. Regardless of all these variants, a derby is a derby and I can’t imagine what could happen”, highlighted the 63-year-old coach of the ‘Eagles’, who he once again stressed that his continuity with the ‘reds’ next season does not depend solely on him and that, therefore, he cannot guarantee it.
Benfica, third, with 69 points, visits Sporting, second, with 71 and one game less, on Sunday, at 6pm, for the 30th round of the I Football League, at the José Alvalade Stadium, in Lisbon, in a game refereed by João Pinheiro, from the Braga association.
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