MADRID, 31 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Porto’s coach, Sérgio Conceiçao, asked his squad to be “prepared” for the key duel against Atlético de Madrid this Tuesday (9:00 p.m.), focused “always” on themselves, which he considers “the most important thing”.
“We approach this game with the intention of winning the three points and that can allow us to stay in first place,” said the coach about the duel, already classified for the round of 16 of the Champions League.
The Portuguese need to beat the rojiblancos in O Dragao and that Bruges do not do so against Bayer Leverkusen to advance to the top of the group. A company for which Conceiçao asked “to be equal” to themselves, because if they are not, “it becomes difficult.” “We talk as a group, we find out what’s wrong,” he added.
“The road is made together and strong, always. What I said after the Benfica game, I stand by”, commented the coach, who continues to trust the group, despite the adverse result against the Lisbon team two days ago. A result, which, however, did not affect the squad too much. “My state of mind remains exactly the same in all competitions. Football changes fast and we have to look to the immediate future,” he added.
Thus, Conceiçao warned that “the most important thing” will always be his own team, and what they should focus all their attention on. “We have to be prepared. The most important thing is always our team and what we are going to do,” he analyzed, after advancing “nuances” in the lineup due to losses, fundamentally in defense.
“Atlético de Madrid is always a great team. Regardless of the moment, I think that at the end of the season Atlético will have a positive season. This will be a less good cycle, but it is the moment”, he pointed out about the current situation of the rojiblanco team , which must win or equal what Leverkusen does to be in the Europa League.
In addition, at a press conference, the coach criticized the “very high competitive density” of the Portuguese League calendar. “It’s good for the club to be in all competitions and play every three days. But every three days… to recover,” he snapped. “We arrived in Portugal on Thursday, a day later we went to the Azores and the next day we played. It’s no excuse. There is a lot to do on our part, but also in Portuguese football,” he explained.
Finally, he pointed out that what they want is for the players “to be at the highest level of motivation.” “Each moment is important for the evolution of each one of them,” she settled.