All to Pedroso: Porto U17s host Sporting, eye stronger lead | OneFootball

Riding a run of eight straight wins, FC Porto’s under-17 side go into the 13th round of the Championship Qualification Phase with a home clássico against Sporting and a clear opportunity to strengthen their lead. In Pedroso, José João pointed to the weight of the opponent, the importance of maintaining the team’s identity, and the immediate goal of adding another victory. At the heart of his message was a simple and direct idea, as he assured: “We want the three points.”

Heading into another maximum-demand test in the National Under-17 Championship, the outright leaders host their closest rival with the confidence of a team going through a solid spell, but with no room for complacency. José João struck a balanced tone between ambition and control, always with the same underlying message: compete to win, without losing sight of the values and playing style that have supported Porto’s campaign.

Asked about the upcoming clássico, FC Porto’s under-17 coach described Sporting as a serious threat, rejecting any casual reading of the match. His tone was one of respect, but also competitive resolve.

“They are a very difficult opponent and right now they are our direct rival, the rival closest to us, and like us they have the ambition to fight for the title,” he said. “We approach this game like all the others, with the utmost respect for the opponent, but focused on our idea and our style of play. We want the three points and to be even more firmly at the top of the table.”

José João’s words paint a clássico without emotional detours or excessive rhetoric. FC Porto know what lies ahead, but they also know how they want to play — and it is from that clarity that the ambition to increase their advantage at the top is born.

There was then room to look at the home factor, in a match marked by a return to a more familiar setting and closeness to the fans. Even so, the coach preferred not to romanticize the scenario and once again steered the conversation back to competitive consistency.

“Playing at home is always good, we are close to our fans. The game there was a good one and it ended in a draw, but Sporting have very good individual players,” he explained. “Playing at home, we are more familiar with the pitch, but we are focused on the match and on being consistent and competent so we can get another three points.”

More than a comfort, Pedroso appears here as a setting that can help, but can never solve things on its own. In the coach’s reading, the context is favorable; the difference will have to be made, once again, through the team’s quality.

Porto’s strong run of form also inevitably came into the conversation, after a string of wins that boosted confidence and consolidated their processes. José João spoke of a confident team, receptive to ideas and driven by an ambition that does not want to confuse enthusiasm with arrogance.

“The team is doing well. When you win, things tend to be easier to consolidate and the idea comes across more clearly,” he stressed. “The team has been doing well and, above all, is confident. Week after week, the team always wants to be better. Our purpose is to make history at FC Porto and we never neglect our values or get carried away.”

It is in that balance between confidence and restraint that Porto’s under-17s go into the clássico. They are top of the table, in a strong run, and playing in front of their own fans, but José João’s message was always the same: grow without losing perspective, compete without giving up their identity.

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