Roger Schmidt: "We have to be very focused on ourselves"

PREVIEW

Total focus on the team and what it has planned for the match was what the coach Roger Schmidt was keen to stress in the preview of the match against FC Porto on matchday 27 of the Liga Bwin, a match scheduled for 6 pm on Friday, April 7, at Estádio da Luz. 

What do you expect from this game? How is the team?

I expect a great game. It's a match between the 1st and 2nd place, on matchday 27, a big game between two top teams, with a lot of quality. We are all looking forward to playing. We will try our best to have a great match and win. Furthermore, we had a very good week. Among the players, there was a mix of concentration and happiness. We know we will face a very good opponent, but we are very confident. We have played many matches like this in our stadium, and we are completely focused on what we have to do on the pitch.

Do you think Benfica is a favorite for this match? Is FC Porto under more pressure due to the point difference in the Liga Bwin standings?

It doesn't matter who is favorite or not. We are completely focused on our game plan, and on what we want to do on the pitch. Of course, the situation in the League is very clear. We have 10 more points in the standings, and we are going into matchday 27, we play at home against FC Porto. We can't ignore that it's an important match for both sides, of course. Both we and FC Porto have a great opportunity tomorrow [Friday, April 7].

I give you a challenge: If you could take advantage of one of FC Porto's strengths, what would it be?

FC Porto is a very good team, with a lot of individual quality, with a very experienced coach, who has won many games in the last years. We have to see the big picture, be prepared for a very focused team that will do everything to play a good game. We know them well, we know their strengths in attack, we know how they play, how they defend... We don't need to focus on a specific strength, what we have to do is be prepared, respect the opponent, all the tactical behavior, but, above all, we have to believe in ourselves, we have to be very focused on what we do. That has been the key throughout the season, we always try to play our game. There are always adjustments to be made in relation to the opponent, but we will play the Benfica way.