“We head into the match with the same spirit and full pelt” | OneFootball

With the Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup on the horizon (Saturday at 8:15pm, live on RTP1), Francesco Farioli stresses that the squad is motivated by “the desire to start the new season well and to win a trophy that could further cement FC Porto as the most decorated club in Portugal.” The Italian coach believes it will be essential “to go into the match with the same spirit and at full throttle” in order to counter an SCU Torreense side he considers “very well organised and with a clear identity both on and off the ball.”

The importance of the Super Cup“It’s good to start playing official matches and to have the chance to begin the season fighting for a trophy. We have a big challenge ahead of us and we will face it with great respect for SCU Torreense, considering everything they have done, the campaign they put together and the fact that they wrote a historic page by qualifying for the Europa League. We want to start the new season well and win a trophy that could further cement FC Porto as the most decorated club in Portugal. We will do everything to make that happen.”

Assessment of the opponent“They made some changes and that will have an impact on the team’s quality. From what we have seen in our analysis, their style of play seems similar. They are a very well-organised team with a clear identity both on and off the ball, but the most important thing is for us to approach the match the right way, to have the same spirit and the fire we had in 99% of the matches last season, and not to underestimate the opponent’s work. What we did last season has to stay very present in our minds. In 34 league matches we lost twice – once against Casa Pia and once against AFS. That shows us that if we drop our focus, there is no position in the table that can help us feel comfortable. A match lasts 90 minutes, but dropping your level for just 30 seconds can affect the final result.”

Ready for any scenario“We are preparing for this final with the same attention with which we prepare every match. We are not willing to give up. We are going in with the same hunger, the same spirit and at full throttle.”

Pre-season review“It was quite a long pre-season. We had the opportunity to work with most of the players. They did a great job, they were pushed to their limits and our expectations were very high. All the players came back even better than we expected, they worked very hard and pushed one another, with a clear desire to be ready for every challenge. Now that we are only a few days away from competition, we are pushing them even harder so they become stronger. Tomorrow we will have one last training session to fine-tune the final details and arrive at the first official competition in our best physical and psychological condition and with this incredible desire to give everything we have from the start.”

The support of the fans“I’m sure the stadium will be full, as always, and feeling the support of the fans will be great. We already missed feeling the fans’ support and it was good to feel it again at the unveiling match. Their support was one of the key factors last year. On our side, we have to start with the right attitude, with the same spirit and the same mindset in any stadium.”

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