Hjulmand on potential Sporting v Benfica tie in Champions League last 16 | OneFootball

This past Thursday, after the 3-2 victory against Athletic Bilbao that allowed Sporting - which saw a player being punished - to advance into the top-8 of the UEFA Champions League, Hjulmand commented on the possibility of the Lions facing Benfica in the round of 16 of the prestigious tournament.

"Possible derby with Benfica? We will face whoever we have to face. Whether it's Benfica or another team, it doesn't matter to us. I am so proud to be part of Sporting and my history here. For me, we had a great regular phase and faced great opponents," said the captain of the Alvalade Club.

When asked if winning the Champions League is a goal for Sporting, the Danish midfielder was clear: "Of course, it is. We know it will be very difficult because we play against the best teams, but everyone on the team is a dreamer. It's something we dream about," he pointed out.

Commenting on whether he ever imagined Sporting finishing in the top-8, Hjulmand pointed out past uncertainties: "To be honest, when we knew the path, we knew it would be difficult, especially since we had to face last season's winners. Especially at Alvalade, we could feel the energy of the fans through the home victories. They supported us a lot. Also yesterday, even though they weren't there, we came back twice in Bilbao, which is a tough place," he said.

The player is already focusing on the next match: "Now it's Nacional. Beat Nacional. We didn't talk to the coach after the game. But our goal is clear. We know we will have many games in the coming weeks and also in the Cup. It ends up being about beating Nacional and then looking at the next game," he concluded.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.