“Anything can happen”, warns Jorge Couto before FC Porto-Benfica | OneFootball

Jorge Couto anticipates an FC Porto-Benfica with no room for certainties in the seventh round of the Primeira Liga, with the classic at the Estádio do Dragão pitting the top two teams against each other. The former Porto winger points to balance, squad depth and intensity as the decisive threads in a match loaded with rivalry. And he leaves a warning: “Anything can happen.”

With FC Porto alone at the top of the table on 18 points, and Benfica right behind on 16, Jorge Couto looks at the classic from the perspective of someone who wore the Dragons’ first-team shirt for seven seasons. The message is clear: in a match of this size, preparation and competitive response can weigh more than any prediction made before the opening whistle.

Asked about possible favoritism, the former player rejected any definitive reading. Even so, he admitted that playing in Porto could offer the blue and whites an important emotional edge.

“In these games it is always difficult to give either team any favoritism. Given the balance, anything can happen,” explained Jorge Couto.

The home factor thus appears as a possible advantage, but not a guarantee. For Couto, the nature of the classic prevents the context from being turned into certainty in advance.

In his assessment of FC Porto, Jorge Couto valued the continuity of the squad structure and the reinforcements brought in to respond to identified needs. More than a strong starting eleven, he stressed the importance of having solutions capable of sustaining the demands of the various competitions.

“It still has a good squad, a strong squad for the competitions it is involved in. It is important that a squad is not just 11 players, or 14, but rather 22,” he argued.

The former winger also stressed that squad management could take on even greater relevance later in the season, when “the legs start to feel heavy.”

The idea points to a challenge that does not end with the classic: the quality of a squad is also measured by its ability to withstand the schedule and reach the decisive moments with resources still available.

That depth, Jorge Couto considered, is also present on Benfica’s side. Benfica arrive at the Estádio do Dragão after a win over AC Milan in the Europa League, in a match in which several changes were made to the team that usually starts.

“It was a sign that the squad works well and is very well prepared for the demands of the competitions it is involved in,” Jorge Couto said.

The classic therefore brings together two teams that the former player believes are equipped with alternatives. Managing those choices could be just as relevant as the quality shown by those who start the match.

Looking back on his own experiences in these kinds of games, Jorge Couto highlighted the special pull of a week lived around a classic. The expectation grows off the pitch and is then carried into a stadium expected to be full.

“Throughout the whole week, all you want is for match day to come quickly so you can get onto the pitch. The stadium is always full, and a spectacular atmosphere is created,” he shared.

It is that atmosphere that helps explain the weight of FC Porto-Benfica. The setting is not a detail of the game: it is part of the competitive tension the players encounter when they step onto the field.

Jorge Couto also expects a match marked by intensity, which he associates with FC Porto’s historical identity. In his reading, pressure and competitive aggression are part of the way Porto try to impose themselves on their opponent.

“That’s a little bit in Porto’s DNA,” he summed up.

The former player argued that Benfica will have to manage to “match Porto’s competitive attitude” so as not to be put at a disadvantage. In a classic, he added, the rivalry may increase aggression, but always “within the limits of the rules.”

Couto’s analysis places the duel on ground of controlled intensity: FC Porto will look to press hard to win back the ball, while Benfica will have to respond without letting themselves be dragged away from their competitive plan.

Despite the growing media exposure surrounding classics, Jorge Couto believes players must shield themselves from outside noise. The focus, he argues, must remain on preparation and on what each one is capable of offering on the pitch.

“The main focus will always be there, on what you are capable of or what you have to do, while letting that kind of information pass you by a little,” he concluded.

FC Porto host Benfica from 20:30 on Sunday at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, with Miguel Nogueira of the Lisbon Football Association as referee. For Jorge Couto, the formula is simple, even if the execution promises to be anything but predictable.

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