Salzburg coach Gerhard Struber said on Monday that the game against Benfica in the sixth and final round of Group D of the Champions League will be the final in the race for a place in the Europa League.
“This is a final for both teams. For me, Benfica is the favorite, they have more experience, last season they reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League and are always at the top of the Portuguese championship,” the coach said. at a press conference.
Benfica, already with no chance of remaining as Champions, must win by two goals on the visit to Salzburg to guarantee third place in Group D and a place in the knockout stages to reach the “round of the tournament”. 16 minutes of the Europa League, in a “pool” in which Inter Milan and Real Sociedad have already guaranteed their qualification.
If they win by two goals, Benfica will be level on points with Salzburg and both teams will have the same goal balance, with the most goals scored going into the tie-breaker with the Eagles leading.
Struber rejected the idea of his team taking the field with a “calculator in their hands,” explaining that the goal is to give everything they have to win.
“We know that Benfica is a strong team, but we must do everything possible to continue participating in European competitions with the help of the fans,” he stressed.
The coach recalled that Salzburg managed to win 2-0 in Lisbon thanks to “unity and discipline”, but warned that he expected the opponents to take risks in order not to remain outside the European competition.
Benfica will want to give everything, to take risks. We must be strong and cannot be a passive team. We must follow our principles, show our individuality and play with courage,” he guaranteed.
The fact that Benfica is going through a difficult period is not an advantage for Gerhard Struber: the coach praises Roger Schmidt and is even somewhat surprised by the challenge to the Reds coach.
“We know that we are playing against a team with world champions. We can’t think about Benfica’s moment, we have to be vigilant and focused only on this game. Schmidt is a person I admire, he combines good team management with his idea of The Game, which I have already demonstrated in Leverkusen,” the coach defended.
The game between Salzburg and Benfica is scheduled for Tuesday at 20:00 in Austria, and will be directed by German Daniel Siebert.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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