Roger Schmidt: "Play good football and win the match"

PREVIEW

Roger Schmidt made this Friday, November 25, the preview for the match with Penafiel, this Saturday, at 8:45 pm, which takes place at Estádio da Luz, in a game from matchday 2 of group C of the League Cup.

What do you expect from Penafiel and what it is like to prepare a match against a team that plays in another tier?

We are used to it. We have already done it in the Portuguese Cup, and it was like that in the last match for this competition. We will do what we have always done. We analyze the opponent and respect them. Tomorrow [Saturday] it's the last game before a break and we want to finish on a high note with a good home match. We want to play good football and we want to win the match.

Julian Draxler was considered a great signing for Benfica. So far, he has played little and had problems, but is he now fit to earn a spot in the team?

When we signed him on the last day of the transfer market, we knew he was not in great shape because he had been injured. He had had surgery in March or April and was not training with the PSG team because they had decided to keep players out of group training. He started as a substitute, then got injured against FC Porto, was then out for about four weeks, and has now returned. He played last week. We need to give him minutes to recover his best form. He is a player of great quality, with very particular weapons, that's clear, and he can be very important for us in the second half of the season.

26 matches without a defeat, the record is 31 matches. Do you think Benfica is the team to beat even more than usual?

I don’t know. We think about this from our perspective. What we have done is be very focused on each game. We don't look too far ahead; we always think about playing the next match in the best possible way and concentrate on the 90 minutes. It’s difficult to win every match and we see that in the World Cup. There have been many surprises and every game has its story. Football is a very particular sport. It's not like a basketball or handball match. Every game is a tough game and a challenge, so there's no sense in looking too far ahead, thinking about records or statistics. 

Now that the World Cup is on, it is your ambition to coach a national team in the future. Possibly the German national team or the Portuguese national team, what do you think about that?

They are great teams. Honestly, I've never thought about my future in football. I don't have a plan. I'm always focused on the here and now. I am very proud to be part of Benfica now, I have already had the opportunity to say that it was an excellent decision to come here. I enjoy every day with my team. I've never been a national coach, but I think it's a completely different job. You are only with the team for a few days to prepare for a competition. It is certainly very interesting, and it would be an honor regardless of the country, but it is difficult to answer this question because my attitude right now is to be focused on Benfica.