Carlos Vicens: “FC Porto? We’ve nothing to fear” | OneFootball

Sp. Braga has accumulated four consecutive victories, scoring 12 goals and conceding none. Carlos Vicens claims this is the "best phase" for the team this season and assures that they will not change their style of play when they visit the Dragão this Sunday to face FC Porto.

FC Porto leads, but comes from three less convincing performances; Sp. Braga arrives in good form. What kind of match can we expect on Sunday?

"They say FC Porto didn't win their last three games with ease. I think, first of all, we must consider the context of these recent matches: midweek games, away from home, against tough opponents, then returning to play against Moreirense, which is a team competing very well. It's not easy to play midweek, win games; it's the current context, playing high-level matches every three days and winning them is not easy. We know they are a rival with a very high level, which is why they are the undefeated leader of the league, having only conceded one draw. They have a coach who, from very early on, assembled a well-recognized team that knows how to play, working, competing, and winning games with many guarantees, which shows a team with a lot of confidence. That's what we expect, a difficult, very difficult team. As for us, we still have a training session this afternoon, we'll see how the players recover from the effort of having played three games in six days. We go into tomorrow's game with the ambition to play well, make life very difficult for our rival, and try to win."

Sp. Braga's strategy at Dragão: can we expect a different approach compared to recent games?

"No, we will try to continue being competitive, aiming to achieve a higher level of regularity than we have already attained. The team clearly knows how to play, and we will strive to be that team. A team that makes life difficult for the rival, that plays with confidence, that plays as a team. We will make an effort to take control of the game and try to win."

Are we witnessing the best phase of Sp. Braga?

"Yes, probably yes, because, within the team's building process, we are closer, accumulating more experiences. We have already played twenty official games, and the process makes you grow. We are seeing the team grow, competing better and overcoming the different challenges posed by opponents, with confidence and faith in what we do. This reassures us that we are working in the right direction. As for tomorrow's game, we want to present that face that we want to continue on the same path."

Farioli said after the game with Moreirense that teams retreat more against FC Porto. Will Sp. Braga do the same?

"We know the difficulties we will face tomorrow, but we must continue to be ourselves. It wouldn't make sense tomorrow, just because we are facing the undefeated league leader, to play differently. We will draw, lose, and win games. We are working in a clear direction, we have a way of playing, and we are being competitive. That's what we will try to do tomorrow; in football, you shouldn't be afraid of anything, you have to play knowing that opponents always present different challenges. We will not ignore the quality of the opponent, but we wouldn't do our team any favors by boosting the rival team's morale. Respect? Absolutely. Is it a great team? It is, for sure. Is it a deserved leader? Yes. But we have to be Sp. Braga, and tomorrow we will be Sp. Braga."

Two teams with a preference for ball possession. Can we expect a great show, with a direct confrontation?

"Yes, I enjoyed analyzing FC Porto's games, I like the idea proposed by their coach. Even when he was at Ajax, I liked watching his teams. In this sense, we will see what kind of game we will have tomorrow; it might be along the lines of what you were saying, after all, these are two teams that want to do things, we will have a game between two teams that will try to impose themselves. The players are confident because they know they have a work line, we have a way of playing, and we will continue to reinforce this way of playing. A few weeks ago, I said we lacked competitive regularity, and now that we are starting to achieve it, we will continue to do things the same way. Are there things to improve? There are many, but the most important thing is for the players to have a very clear collective idea. The players go into the game with all the confidence they have been accumulating."

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