"Good football and mentality, and then anything is possible"

PREVIEW

With a 2-1 lead in the tie against Marseille, Benfica will play the second leg of the Europa League quarter-finals this Thursday, April 18, at Marseille (8 pm in mainland Portugal). 

What does the team need to get through to the semi-final?

We need to play a very good game. Of course every game is different, unique, tomorrow [Thursday, April 18] is the second leg, we won the first leg and I think we played a good game. Unfortunately, we conceded a goal, but we won. This game will be demanding because we'll be playing in their stadium. It's different, and it's part of a knockout round. We have to play very well in both games to qualify for the next round. In the quarter-finals, the quality of the opposition is always top-notch, we saw that in the first leg. We need to play a brave game, believe in ourselves, respect Marseille's quality and, if we do well, we believe we have a good chance of reaching the semi-final.

How important is it for Benfica to score a goal?

Of course we know that if we don't concede, we're in the semi-final. It's the advantage from the first leg, but our style of play isn't just about defending, or coming here and defending our home goal. Playing our football, being brave and believing in ourselves means we have to play attacking football. We always have the quality to score goals, we'll try and we'll see. As I said at the start, we have to be ready for the story of the game, you never know what's going to happen. In the last two away games in the Europa League, we haven't conceded a goal, we've defended very well. Maybe it'll be possible tomorrow [Thursday], or maybe not. If not, of course we have to score for ourselves, but in any case, our objective every time we go out on the pitch is to score goals and have a good balance between attacking football and being compact, against a very good opponent like the one we'll face tomorrow [Thursday]. 

Do you feel the team is emotionally prepared to play in this stadium?

Of course, playing in this environment is always difficult, but it's not the first time we've played in difficult atmospheres. We've played internationals in the last two years and, in my opinion, we've been brave in all of them, and that's also the aim for this match. When I look at our last few games, I think the players have been very good, we've played good football, we've had good games. Sunday's game [with Moreirense] was also very important, we changed a lot of players, dominated and won. Some players were rested, others played, and we achieved what we wanted. All the players are in good condition, we need everyone. 

You've been training for 20 years, and this may be the first time you've reached the semi-finals of an international competition. On a personal level, how important would this achievement be?

I'm really only thinking about our team, our club. It's important for Benfica to reach the semi-finals, because it's already a challenge to reach the quarter-finals, but the semi-finals are different, and it's just one step towards the final. That means a big game at the end of the season. This is our dream, of the whole team. We have a lot of young players, some very experienced, we have a good mix. In the last few games in the Europa League, we've shown that we have the quality to reach this stage, and now it's up to us to prove it again. Good football and mentality, and then anything is possible. That would be great for all of us.