Roger Schmidt: "We know we need top performance"

PREVIEW

Roger Schmidt, Benfica coach, previewed the duel against Inter Milan, in the first leg of the quarterfinals of the Champions League, scheduled for 8 pm on Tuesday, April 11, at Estádio da Luz. 

Benfica will face an Italian team. Can we expect both matches to be decided by details?

Of course. When you are in the quarterfinals, in the knockout stage, you always have to expect an opponent at his best level. The matches are very important for both teams. Both teams have spent a lot of energy and focus to reach this level. We expect a top team, very focused, but that's also what we expect from ourselves. We want to play our best football, and we have to be prepared for a team that is very good, with a lot of individual quality, with different options in attack, defense, and midfield. We know we need top performance.

Inter is going through a tough moment of the season. The Champions League is a different competition, but is this the best time to face them? Several analysts say it was a favorable draw for Benfica...

We will see if it was a favorable opponent for us. A draw is a draw. Both teams have quality and deserve to be in the quarterfinals. There is no doubt about it. Inter may be struggling in the Italian league, but look at their squad. It's filled with very experienced, quality players. What I expect from my players is that they have more motivation because it is a big game, but I also expect the Inter players to feel that way. Tomorrow [Tuesday], we play at home, and we will try to play a good match and get a good result.

Did you watch Inter's matches against FC Porto to prepare the encounter? What will Benfica have to do differently from last Friday's match in the Liga Bwin?

Losing games is part of football. On Friday [April 7] we lost an important game, but we had won many before. We grow with the victories, but also with the defeats. I believe that these [defeats] can motivate positive responses. I saw my team leave behind what happened very quickly, and we are very focused on Inter. They have already played against FC Porto, and we took that into account. We analyzed that and many other games, where we saw Inter playing differently. I know they can change their style, and we are prepared for anything. We want to be at our best.