"We'll do everything we can to give the trophy to the fans"

PREVIEW

The determination to offer the Portuguese Cup to the fans is great, as Bruno Lage revealed in the preview of Benfica-Sporting, the final match of the Portuguese Cup, scheduled for 5:15 pm on Sunday, May 25, at the Estadio Nacional.

I asked him how his week of preparation went and what preview he had of the Portuguese Cup final match.

The week's work has gone very well and my preview is: I believe it's going to be a game like the three we've played this season. A balanced game that we've prepared in the best way possible to beat our opponents. We know it's a final. We know it's not the title that saves the season, but it's a very important title for us, because it's a title that's not easy to win. That's why we attach a lot of importance to this title, knowing that we're aware of what the season is all about. 

I'd like to start by asking you a question that a lot of people ask: will Samuel Soares be in goal tomorrow? He's the one who played the whole competition... And also the question of the injured, especially Aursnes, who has been very important this season. Will he be able to play against Sporting tomorrow?.

I'm not going to change my mind about Samu's [Samuel Soares] competition, so he'll start tomorrow. As for the injured players, and Fredrik [Aursnes] in particular, we still have tomorrow to assess them.

I said earlier that [winning the] Portuguese Cup doesn't save Benfica's season. But in a season in which Benfica manage to recover the points they did in the league - where they are no longer level on points with the leaders on the last matchday - in which they win the League Cup and go through to the final of the Portuguese Cup, does a win at Jamor mean that Benfica's season still has to be seen as an underachievement or a bad season?

I know how demanding this club is. I'll try to answer your question with another question. In the last 15 years, who has been the most successful coach in Portugal? Jorge Jesus, with 6 years at Benfica and 3 titles. If we look at the even more recent past, the last 6 years, who do we also have with great success? Possibly two names: either Rúben [Amorim] or Sérgio [Conceição]. And what does that mean? Time and stability. What did they all have in common? Working hours. But now I'm challenging the room. Do you think any of them could survive their worst record [at their respective clubs] at Benfica? The answer lies in the history of our club over the last 50 years. So, regardless of what I may think, what you may think and the work we've done in our nine-month period, it's that we understand this perfectly: the importance of the Championship for Benfica, the demands of our Club and we feel that tomorrow we have a trophy, which is very beautiful and which Benfica hasn't won for a long time. We're all determined to win that trophy to give it to our fans.

You've just spoken about how important the Championship was and is for Benfica. Rui Costa [Benfica's President] said that it was a failure not to win the Championship. I'd like to ask you, in your opinion, what you failed to do in the Championship that you can't fail to do in tomorrow's game. And in the event of defeat, would you also class this season as a failure?

No, the reviews... I'll tell you what I said to your colleague. Reviews... let's talk tomorrow. We know what the responsibility is, I don't want to repeat my previous answer, but the most important thing is that we first look at the work that's been done, and tomorrow, we've already taken stock of the league, we'll certainly take stock of the season. The most important thing is that I feel the team is determined, with a very positive atmosphere, and we all have a lot of experience of what football is like, what it's like to play in the finals. We're completely calm, we're confident that we're going to play a great game, we want to win the game to offer this title, first to the fans, who have supported us from the first minute, and then to all of us for the work we've been doing over time, particularly the players. 

I ask you what you can do differently in this game against Sporting, since in the last two, one of them also in a competition, a final, you had a draw, then penalties in the League Cup, as we know, but what you can do differently to win the Cup. Will it be a game decided on details?

Yes, the dominant factor in recent games has been balance. Looking at what we've done in the two games, we've created, we've always had good moments in the game, we've had several chances where we could have scored more than one goal, so it's about looking at what we've done and what we have to keep doing, understanding it very well... Right now I don't think there are many secrets between one team and another, the way we've played three games and recently the league game. Now, of course, there are strategic issues that can make a difference, there are individual issues that can make a difference, there are emotional issues that can make a difference, what's most important is that we feel where we can make a difference and I feel that, in every detail, we have once again prepared well for the game. Now we have to give our players a lot of confidence, let them know that there's a final ahead of us and that we have a trophy to win. 

After losing the league, will Benfica be under more pressure tomorrow to win the Portuguese Cup?

I was even going to suggest asking you another question, because your question is so obvious. You've already heard me answer 5 or 6 [times] about how demanding it is to be Benfica's coach, I've already given you 3 or 4 examples of how demanding it is to be different from other clubs. We're always... our demands are transversal, they are at all times. We have to deliver results every three days, we have to deliver titles. That's why our demands are always maximum, regardless of the moment.