Pédro Bártolo: GDD Alcoitão will be our toughest test yet | OneFootball

FC Porto, in the wheelchair basketball category, hosts Grupo Desportivo de Alcoitão in the fifth round of the regular phase of the National Championship. The match is scheduled for 3:00 PM this Saturday at the Lagarteiro Municipal Pavilion and pits the leaders of the competition – with four wins in four matches – against the reigning champions, who have also won all their games so far (three).

Preparing to face “a very strong team, with numerous quality players, almost a dozen national-level athletes,” coach/player Pedro Bártolo anticipates “a spectacular game” and is focused only on continuing the “perfect start”: “I am confident that we will perform better than in the pre-season and that we will show we can be where we want to be, which is in the National Championship final.”

Promising Start“It has exceeded expectations because we are a group with some new faces, growing and learning to compete. These results give us special encouragement for the rest of the season and, in particular, for this more challenging game against Alcoitão.”

League Overview“There are five teams that clearly stand out and will compete for the four playoff spots. Winning against Leiria and Sintra was particularly important for us to be in a much more favorable position and, I would say, one or two victories against this core group of BCR, to secure a place in the playoff semi-finals, which is our main goal for now.”

Competition Structure“Four of the seven teams in the BCR League qualify for the playoff semi-finals, which are played best of five games, just like the final. The remaining three teams are relegated to an honor division, a kind of national second division, joined by other teams that choose to enter only in this second phase of the competition.”

Formidable Rival“Undoubtedly, this will be the toughest opponent we have faced, especially considering the result we achieved against Alcoitão in the pre-season. But regardless of that, we know it is a very strong team, with numerous quality players, almost a dozen national-level athletes. This is evident, the depth of their bench and the options they have are reflected in their ability to rotate and not lose quality. Meanwhile, we have a team of youngsters, literally, who need some time to develop, to learn to compete and handle pressure. But nothing better than a perfect start to motivate us and try to give our best on Saturday. I am confident that we will perform better than in the pre-season and that we will show we can be where we want to be, which is in the National Championship final.”

Investment in Adaptive Sports“We have unparalleled working conditions in national wheelchair basketball, I would even say in national adaptive sports, and we are very pleased about that. We have a high volume of training, a staff and structure that care about the holistic development of the athletes, and the ideal working conditions are in place. In a while, as soon as possible, I hope to see some of these youngsters blossom and reach other levels, the national team, and a higher competitive level.”

Call to Fans“If you were excited by the sample we had against Ferrol and Paredes, I am sure this game will be even more spectacular. We need to feel that we are playing at home to overcome the toughest opponent in the BCR League, Grupo Desportivo de Alcoitão. We count on all Porto fans at 3:00 PM on Saturday at the Lagarteiro Pavilion.”

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