FC Porto “well, confidently and with good responsibility” imposes itself on Sporting CP in the League Cup final on Saturday and interrupts the “quick” club in the competition, football player Pepe admitted this Friday.
“At the beginning of this season, I said that this is going to be a very difficult year for us and that we will struggle with many things that could happen to us. We will have to fight hard in this final to win. , but I hope we are ready to play to achieve our goal,” the defender and captain emphasized at a press conference.
The Dragons qualified for the fifth time to tackle the youngest competition in Portuguese professional football on Wednesday, beating the Académico de Viseu of Liga II 3-0, the day after the Lion’s success against the First Division. Aroca, 2-1, in the semi-finals.
“This is the next [final] and it’s special. We are working with great enthusiasm to participate in these games. who will enter tomorrow [sábado] we will strive to do what the “sir” suggested to us in order to help our club and everyone add another title to their careers, ”he emphasized.
Having recently recovered from a left ulna fracture he suffered while playing for the 2022 World Cup, Pepe returned to Porto’s starting line-up in his final two matches and could now add an unprecedented trophy to his extensive history.
“It means that this is another title for us and it is a sign that we are doing well in our work. We can go down in club history with our first title. [na Taça da Liga], but it’s important to enjoy the ending, which will be unique for many players. I enjoy it as if it were the first and I trust that my colleagues will also try to enjoy it in the best possible way, with great effort and dedication in what is required of us,” he said.
The centre-back, who will celebrate his 40th birthday on 26 February, has already won four league titles, three Portuguese Cups and three Candido de Oliveira Super Cups with the Dragoens, to whom he returned in the 2018/19 season after he appeared in 2004. and 2007
“More than words, this is how we face each day and moment at work and who I am and how I can convey that to my teammates. As I have said many times, I am tired of saying that I am a privilege as soon as I wake up and can come and train, as I try to do what I like best with the greatest passion,” he said.
Noting that Porto and Sporting already have “little surprise” in the replay of the 2018/19 League Cup decider, Pepe said he was “physically fit” next to manager Sergio Conceição, who declined to confirm the title. captain.
“My kids wanted me to be able to have dinner with them for two nights, but today we are going to the training camp, and this is not possible. This is our life and we have to do our best to win the title,” he concluded, aiming for four national trophies at the same time.
Porto, who beat the 2009/10, 2012/13, 2018/19 and 2019/20 finalists, will play Sporting CP, the 2017/18, 2018/19, 2020/21 and 2021/22 winners and two-time champions. Saturday at 7:45 pm at Dr. Magalhães Pessoa in Leiria, in the decisive leg of the 16th edition of the League Cup, the referee is Joao Pinheiro from the Braga association.
Sergio Conceição could rise to the ninth scepter and surpass Artur Jorge as the most decorated Dragons manager ever, who has managed the club since 2017/18, winning three championships, two Portuguese Cups and three Candido de Oliveira Super Cups. Cups.
Author: Portuguese
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.