Cristiano Bacci warns: Tondela will face Benfica head on | OneFootball

Cristiano Bacci acknowledges that it will not be an easy match for Tondela. In the pre-match press conference ahead of tonight’s game against Benfica — who are seeking the best run in the league — the Italian coach admitted that the Beira team will not lose its identity, even when facing the Eagles, led by José Mourinho.

“We’re coming off a defeat, from a match that wasn’t positive. Especially in the second half, we lacked grit, commitment, and attitude. So, it hasn’t been an easy week, regardless of our opponent, because, as I’ve already said, it’s not because of the opponent that we’re going to change our behavior during the week,” the Italian coach began by saying.

“Although some may think it’s a team in trouble, Benfica has one of the best records in recent years. They haven’t lost in the league yet and have more points than last year. So, it’s not a team in crisis. Even so, it’s not because we’re going to face Benfica that we’re going to sit back and defend our goal. We’ve already shown that, against two big teams, Braga and Porto, the game was balanced. We lost, but we lost due to details, we didn’t make it easy,” he added.

“We made things difficult for Porto and Braga. We’re going to face Benfica the same way, without fear, trying to play our football, certainly with respect for Benfica. We know they are a very strong team, fighting for the league title. No problem with that, but we’re going to play our football,” Cristiano Bacci stated.

“As usual, every team we face has strengths and weaknesses, and Benfica is not invincible either. They have weaknesses, which we’ve worked on, but I’m not going to say what those weaknesses are. We have to look at ourselves. We’re coming off three straight defeats and, above all, we have to change that,” concluded the Italian.

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