"Winning and going through to the final four is our goal"

PREVIEW

At the press conference ahead of the match this Thursday, December 21 (8:15 p.m.), against AVS, on matchday 3 of Group B of the League Cup, Roger Schmidt revealed that the formula for Benfica to win at the Estádio da Luz and secure qualification for the final four of the competition is to maintain the level, concentration and discipline of recent weeks.

Following the win against SC Braga in the Liga Betclic, what will your approach be for the League Cup match against AVS?

The approach is very clear, we've already played a game and the situation is simple: if we win, we qualify for the final four of the competition. That's our goal. We know AVS have a good team. If you look at the teams promoted from League 2 last season, they're doing very well in the Championship. These teams always have quality. In the case of AVS, the team has a lot of experienced players and still has a chance of progressing in the competition. It's up to us to play at a good level and have the concentration and discipline we've had in recent weeks. We believe we can win this game.

Is Benfica favorite against Toulouse in the Europa League play-off?

It doesn't matter if we're favorites or not. We always have to respect our opponents, especially when they qualify for international competitions. It's a sign that they've had a great season and that they have quality and good team spirit. That goes for Toulouse. It's not easy to win access to European competitions in France and this season they've already shown their quality in international matches, in a group with Liverpool. After qualifying for the play-offs, where we worked hard to win in Salzburg, we want to keep going in Europe. But to do that, we have to be at our best and then see what our chances are of progressing in the competition. We always respect all our opponents.

Are you aiming to win the League Cup, which you've never won, in order to continue your run of winning every national trophy during your time at Benfica?

My goal is to win tomorrow [Thursday] so that we can continue to do our best in all competitions. That's what we want, and I don't have any preferences. Whenever we start a competition, our goal is to reach the finals or be the best team. We'll do our best to achieve that.