Chaves chief says hosting Benfica is a gift, a real lucky charm for us | OneFootball

Dante Elizalde did not hide his delight at hosting Benfica in the Portuguese Cup. The Chaves executive has been in the role for about 30 days, after the Flavian SAD was acquired by a Mexican business group, which placed the new strongman of the Trás-os-Montes club in the position he now holds.

"We came into Chaves 30 days ago and this match, besides being a test of our organizational capacity, is a ‘gift’. We’re fortunate to host a club of global stature, led by one of the greatest coaches in the world. The Cup is football’s celebration and this is our present. We’re going to enjoy it," the new Chaves executive began by saying.

Dante Elizalde continued, in statements to the newspaper Record: "The Portuguese Cup is almost a talisman for us. It was our first test. Despite the complexity, we won and immediately realized the competitiveness of this competition. It was a kind of welcome to Portuguese football."

"We were lucky to host one of Portugal’s most powerful clubs, a giant of European football, and we know that in Trás-os-Montes there are many Benfica supporters. That’s why it’s a challenge for us to organize a match of this magnitude. It’s a challenge I take on very calmly, because our SAD team has a lot of experience and works with passion (...) We all know these are the kinds of matches we want to bring back to Chaves," added the head of the Flavian board, who gave one final assurance:

"More than thinking about the result, I want to see effort and dedication so that no one can say we didn’t give everything to represent the brave people of Trás-os-Montes with dignity. The stadium will be packed and there will be many Benfica fans, but no one should doubt that we will defend our badge with all our bravery and honor our colors to the utmost, fighting for the win," concluded the new Chaves executive, ahead of the match against Benfica - who are preparing some changes to the team.

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