"We're ready to fight for full 90 minutes"

PREVIEW

A team ready to "fight for 90 minutes"! That's the guarantee given by coach Roger Schmidt in his preview of the match between Benfica and FC Porto, from matchday 24 of the Liga Betclic, scheduled for this Sunday, March 3, at 8:30 pm, at Estádio do Dragão. 

After an intense game in the Portuguese Cup [against Sporting], how has the group recovered and what are your expectations for this Sunday's "clássico"?

It's the next top game. Having these two away games, one on Thursday and the other on Sunday, are the toughest we can have. We've tried our best to recover and be ready for tomorrow's game [Sunday, March 3]. It's an important game, we know it's very difficult to play FC Porto's away. It's a very important game for both teams. They [FC Porto] have also shown very good quality in recent weeks, especially in the Champions League, so we expect the same level. We're ready for that and we'll try our best to win the game.

Benfica have already faced FC Porto twice this season, and Roger Schmidt knows the opponent well. Is there still room for surprises?

We've already faced them twice this season and we know FC Porto very well, but we know that it's always very tough to play them. It's not because we've beaten them twice that we're going to win tomorrow [Sunday], because it's always challenging to play these games. They've changed their system and their approach a bit. If you look at their tactical organization, you see a very compact team, which defend very well, very good in transition, always alert in the fight for second balls and trying to attack deep with their offensive players. It's difficult to play them. It's not easy to create chances and we must be very well organized, because we can't give them any space. It's also different to play FC Porto at home, on a neutral pitch, as we did in the Super Cup, or away. This time they have the advantage of playing at home, but we're ready to fight for the full 90 minutes for the best possible result.

Do you feel that the pressure surrounding FC Porto to get to the top could have a positive influence on Benfica?

I don't see pressure as a decisive factor. A duel between FC Porto and Benfica is always a high-level match. Both teams have good reasons to win the game and give everything they have. I don't think the current standings will influence the game. If we were even in the table, the game would carry the same weight.

You've played against Sporting and FC Porto. Which one do you like to face the least?

It's very difficult to compare the teams. As I've always said, the Portuguese league is very demanding and, if we want to win titles, we have to fight against these teams, as well as Braga. All the teams have a lot of quality, very good coaches and different approaches. When we play these games, we have to find solutions. The games are always very even and are decided by details. We started well and, after the 2-0, we played differently, the way we wanted to from the start. There were different phases in the game. In my opinion, we lost, but we still saw a lot of quality and good mindset from my team. Being able to come back into the game after 2-0 and fight for a draw and a win shows that the team has a lot of belief, especially in difficult moments. That gives us a lot of confidence for tough games like Sunday's against FC Porto.

In recent games, you have been betting on a more flexible attack, but you ended up taking Arthur Cabral out of the eleven when he was at his best. The player didn't seem very happy at the end of the game against Sporting. Did you have the chance to talk to him about that moment and your decision to choose a different line-up? Do you want to keep your decision?

We always have to think about the balance of the team first. We're looking for the best approach, both in terms of the starting eleven and the players on the bench. It's up to the players to work at their best in every training session and every minute they play for Benfica. If they give 100%, if they are better than other players and contribute to making the team better, they'll play. It's very easy. I give everyone the same opportunities, and they contribute to my decision-making.

Arthur Cabral scored several goals and has been on the bench, Marcos Leonardo also started well and only played one minute in the last three games. Can this management affect their confidence?

All the players want to start and play the full 90 minutes. My job isn't to put players in just because they score goals. For example, we scored six goals against Vizela, we played against Portimonense and scored four goals... I don't think we have a problem scoring goals. My job is always to find the best balance for the team in order to control and dominate the game, with and without the ball, in counter-pressing and high pressing... I always make my decisions based on that. All strikers can score goals, I have no doubt about that. But you can score goals too when you're sometimes on the bench. Even if they [the strikers] score one or two goals in a row, that's not decisive for me. I think all the players have to accept it and be prepared for it. It's up to them [players] to show that they can be complete, not just scoring goals. To be tactical players, involved in pressing, counter-pressing, and compact in tactical terms, in offensive and defensive transitions, they have to show the complete package. It's not enough to score goals, it's not enough to play for Benfica.