"We are ready"

Although he acknowledges that the Eagles will face a “very big club” in the round of 16 of the Club World Cup, Prestianni assured that they will “compete against any team in the same way.” Benfica-Chelsea will be played at 9:00 pm Portuguese time (4:00 pm local time) this Saturday, June 28, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

How is the team looking for the game against Chelsea?

The team is doing very well, very calm. We've worked on everything we needed to work on, so we're ready for tomorrow [Saturday, June 28].

Today, news broke that Nico [Otamendi] has renewed his contract. Is he like a father to you? How important is it that he stays at Benfica?

Since I arrived in Portugal, Nico has helped me a lot, and I am very happy that he will be staying with us for another year.

Do you think this is the best period of your career at Benfica? Bruno Lage has been playing you more often and for longer periods of time.

I think it's something I'm trying to take advantage of. I work to get those minutes, and I'm trying to make the most of them.

You're lacking goals. Do you want to score tomorrow [Saturday, June 28]?

Firstly, I want the team to win. It's a team game, so I'm not in a hurry to score a goal. I'd rather the team wins, and we all contribute together.

In the last game, we saw you struggling with the heat and feeling unwell during the match. Do you feel ready to start again in a situation like this?

I suffered a lot from the heat. I'm not used to playing in this heat, which is very intense here, but I'm always ready to play whatever minutes the coach decides. Am I ready?

Chelsea is a very important team. Which player impresses you the most?

I think all Chelsea players are very good, very talented, which is why they are at Chelsea, a very big club. I would say Enzo [Fernández], because he is Argentine, but they are all the same.

What is it like playing with Di María in this team? What stands out about Fideo's game?

Playing with Ángel [Di María] is a dream come true for any Argentine. I used to watch him on TV when I was little, and now I get to share a team with him. It's a huge joy to share the field with him.

In the last game, after beating Bayern, the coach said that people had little faith in your work and in what you could achieve in the World Cup. What do you think about Bruno Lage's words?

The truth is that I don't watch the news much, I didn't see what the coach said, but if he said it, it's for a reason.

With first place in the group, Benfica ended up in an easier bracket. Do you think it's better to dream bigger in this competition?

I think any of the brackets is very difficult. These teams qualified for the round of 16 for a reason, and I think any opponent we had would have been very difficult, like Chelsea now, which is also very difficult.

What do you think about the quick elimination of the Argentine teams in this Club World Cup?

The truth is, I don't know how to tell you. Boca was in our group, and everyone in Argentina was betting on Boca, but they also greatly underestimated Benfica. We took a big step forward and were able to qualify.

Is it a 50-50 game against Chelsea?

I don't know, it depends on how you look at it. For us, all teams are equal, and we will compete against any team in the same way.

This year, they scored four goals against Atlético Madrid and four goals against Barcelona. Could that experience be beneficial when facing a team like Chelsea?

Yes, I think so. All players enjoy playing these kinds of matches, against very important teams, and I think tomorrow [Saturday, June 28] will be a game like that.