Benfica boss confident ahead of Champions League clash with top team | OneFootball

Ivan Baptista considers Barcelona to be the "strongest team in the world," and believes that "collective organization" and good management of game moments will be key elements for Benfica to face the Catalan team in the Women's Champions League match taking place this Wednesday, December 10th.

"Games all last at least 90 minutes, so we have to approach the game that way, maintain our organization from the start and try to manage the moments of the game and the impatience that might cause Barcelona if they don't score early, and we will grow throughout the game with that situation. We will have our moments, I am convinced of that. Naturally, in these types of games where the opposing team is more favored, we need to have very high levels of efficiency. We might need to deliver one of our best performances, and, naturally, also hope that Barça is not at their best," Ivan Baptista began to explain.

The Benfica coach also addressed the team's need to score points to stay alive in the competition: "Not letting that anxiety take over the players. I believe that won't happen, the group is very well aware of the game plan."

"The preparation is always slightly different because it's a team that will expose us to moments we are not so used to in domestic competitions, and this requires slightly different preparation, although very limited in time," added the Benfica coach, who also lamented the various absences in the team.

Ivan Baptista also concluded with a reference to Kika Nazareth: "It's a shame for all the players who are injured on both sides. We are talking about, perhaps, almost 15 players, combining those from Barcelona and Benfica, who are not available for this game and cannot contribute. I think the game would be much more beautiful if all of them were available."

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