"Put on a great display in front of our fans"

PREVIEW

Picking up three points on their return to the Cathedral, to open the year 2025, is the goal that guides the Benfica team for this Saturday's match, January 4, against Braga, on matchday 17 of the Liga Betclic, scheduled for 6 pm. Bruno Lage, at a press conference held this Friday at the Benfica Campus, underlined the goal of "putting in a good display".

How should Benfica perform in this first game of the year, given their knowledge of Braga and the playing philosophy of their coach, Carlos Carvalhal?

In the best possible way. What we want is to put on a great display in front of our fans, to start the year in the best possible way. It's true, we'll be playing against a very competent opponent, with a technical team of enormous quality. But our desire and our determination is to start the year in the best possible way, to win the game, the three points, with a good display and goals. 

Otamendi and Di María had a different view of the first half from Bruno Lage after the derby. Were you annoyed by what they said, especially the captain? In any way, did you see any kind of criticism of the strategy you had set up for the first half?

Reinforcing what I said earlier about being coaches and playing every three days, we really don't have much time to look back. What I said - and I did the analysis with the players - was that we - I even have a video here that can help me - have an excellent chance on goal after 9 minutes, with Zeki [Amdouni] entering the area, where normally, in that situation - and I invite you to watch this - he shoots. It's a very good opportunity for us, that's why I said we made the start we did. After 14/15 minutes, for various reasons, we stopped being able to play our game. Sporting were superior in the first half. During the first half, we tried to make some adjustments on the bench. It wasn't possible. We spoke at half-time, we improved, and we played the 2nd half we did. What's the outcome of the game? Sporting, at their best period, scored. We didn't score at our best period, when we created several chances. Three points for Sporting. There are no draws or moral victories in this, but you have to look at the game, analyze it and prepare for the next game in the best possible way. That's the analysis I did with the players, I spoke to the players about it, and what we did was train, two very good days, so that tomorrow [January 4] we can present our best version, to do here, in 90 minutes, what we did in the 2nd half at Alvalade. And on that subject - because it's Sporting, but right now it's Braga - it's like I said: for you, three days is short, but for us, if you play every three days and have your next opponent in three days, that's a really long time not to look back, regardless of the result, and to look forward to the future. And the future is already tomorrow [January 4], with the game against Braga, a very competent team, and we want to start the year in the best possible way. 

With the departure of Kaboré, are you planning to go into the market to fill that position [right-back]? Or do you have any guarantees of players who can do the job, such as Aursnes, who has done it many times, or even Benfica youth players who could be a solution??

That's exactly what we've done, we've been to our market, and we've passed... Leandro had worked with us before, he'd even played, and at the moment the alternatives we have for the position are Bah and Leandro. Regarding the market, too, it's very quick what I have to say, the most important thing is that we know what we want.

Braga and Benfica didn't win, they didn't have the best result in their last game. Are you expecting a weaker Braga team or an opponent with ambition and the will to turn things around?

I'm expecting a very competitive opponent, with a very interesting way of playing, quality and a very good away record. Both we and Braga - and from what I also know of the coach, Carlos Carvalhal - there's no time to look back. It's about preparing the team in the best possible way and presenting the team in the best possible way tomorrow [January 4]. That's what I'm hoping for: a competitive Braga side, with quality in their play and the ambition to come and play a good game at the Estádio da Luz. We have to counter that, but we have to use our strength, our way of playing and our game to create the chances we have to create, score goals and win the game.

My question has to do with Otamendi and Di María, too, but in different ways. They are players at the end of their contracts, who can now freely sign for a new club. What I'm asking you is - regardless of the financial part, which concerns the SAD and the players' agents - as Benfica coach, have you given the technical go-ahead to renew the contracts of these two players?

What I can give you at the moment is my opinion. I really enjoy working with them and I feel that they are two very important players for the team, because they perform. That's what we have to do - me, them and the rest of the team - is to keep performing at all times and, of course, in the future, see if they can continue to be useful to Benfica or not, but the most important thing is what we, me as a coach and them as players, do at all times. And right now, as a coach, I'm pleased with the players' performance.