Botelho da Costa on Moreirense vs Benfica: our first big test | OneFootball

Vasco Botelho da Costa, Moreirense’s coach, admitted concern over the short recovery period before hosting Benfica. After the 2-1 defeat to Porto at the Estádio do Dragão on Friday, the Moreira de Cónegos side returns to the pitch this Wednesday to play the postponed match against the Eagles. The short gap between games creates added difficulties for the Minho team, something the coach did not hide in the pre-match press conference ahead of the game, scheduled for 8:45 pm.

“We have the extra handicap of time and recovery. The first major concern for this game is tempo, what you might call intensity, so that we can improve on what we did in the last match if we want to be competitive. We are counting on the support of our fans. Let it be made very clear that this is Moreirense’s stadium. Regardless of the adversity, we very much want a good result,” he said.

Aware that the limited preparation time will be the “first major opponent” for a team not used to playing every three days, unlike Benfica, Botelho da Costa believes Moreirense must first match Benfica in the physical aspect before trying to gain the upper hand through strategy.

“We are at a stage in the game where physicality and aggression have a lot of influence. You can see that in the clubs’ own recruitment patterns. That brings a physical dimension to the game. To succeed, we have to match the best teams in the league in the competitive side of the game and know how to read the game on a tactical level,” he explained.

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