Porto’s coach admitted on Tuesday that the game against Shakhtar Donetsk in the sixth round of the Champions League was causing additional stress, but he admitted that the team was “doing a good job in finals”.
“It’s a final and we’re good at finals, but in this competition it’s a final. On Monday we will have the championship final. [com o Sporting] and so on. In this club we always live for the finals. Any point lost in the championship, we are late. We lost the game at Amoreira and didn’t qualify for the League Cup. If we lose in the Portuguese Cup, it will be the same,” Sergio Conceição began.
The coach, speaking at a press conference before the match with the Ukrainians, admitted that Porto, at its best level, will be able to do “good things” in the final round of Group H.
“We are used to this kind of pressure. I even think this is good pressure. In this club it is not enough to give your all, giving your all is the least of all. We know how important the game is, but more than that, it’s what we do every day with so much motivation and dedication. Then something will become clear. The image of the game will largely depend on our competence in it, within the framework of what we define as strategy, understanding that we cannot guess what the enemy is doing, especially since in internal tests Shakhtar are a little different from what he does in the Champions League. [competentes]I’m confident things will go well,” he said.
Regarding Wednesday’s decisive match, in which either of the two teams could qualify, Sérgio Conceição also highlighted the difficulties he expects to face, mainly due to the context in which the Ukrainian team plays.
“They represent a country that is going through a very difficult time, we are all sensitive to that, but this is a football match. I read an article in the Financial Times that emphasized the importance of this game for Shakhtar and for the country. That is, in addition to the quality of the team, the environment and the context, it will not be easy in all respects,” the Porto coach emphasized.
The Dragons coach is aware of the difficulties he will face in the match against the Ukrainian national team, but still believes in a happy outcome for Porto.
“It won’t be easy. Let the best man win, and of course I want us to be the best thanks to our competence and the path we have taken in this race. I think it’s deserved tomorrow [quarta-feira] we will have to do it again to reach “eighth place”, not only because of this route, but also because of the history, weight and importance of reaching “eighth place” for a club that is in a country that is not among the strongest financially,” he concluded.
Sergio Conceição turned to the desire to reach the quarter-finals of the competition, however, devaluing the millions earned in case of victory.
“We really want this. Over the seasons we have reached eighth place four times, and over these seasons we have reached fourth place several times. I’m not a financial manager, I’m here to win. These victories are important for winning these titles, but of course it is absolutely necessary for the Portuguese to go as far as possible in the Champions. It is my role and the players’ role to ensure that these titles bring important financial benefits to the club. Portuguese clubs are living in great difficulties, and this does not only apply to Porto,” he further explained.
Alan Varela calls for ‘focused’ dragons
Alan Varela was the player chosen to speak at the conference, where he admitted that the club’s “history requires us to go through” the Champions League and therefore scoring against the Ukrainians is a must.
“We have to be calm, focused and do everything possible, given the training, to achieve the desired result, which is always a winning one,” the player said at a press conference.
On Wednesday at 20:00 Porto will host Shakhtar Donetsk in a match that will be refereed by Romanian Istvan Kovacs.
The Dragons are second in Group H with nine points, level with Shakhtar, third behind leaders Barcelona on 12 points, while Antwerp are bottom with no points. A draw at the Dragau stadium will be enough for the blue and white to advance to the round of 16, given that they have the advantage of a direct confrontation with the Ukrainians, who beat them 3:1 in the first round. .
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.