Custódio Castro hails FC Porto, eyes a result: “We want to compete” | OneFootball

Custódio Castro is looking ahead to the trip to the Dragão without changing course: the next game is against FC Porto, in the league, and Alverca’s focus is fully on their ability to compete. Facing an opponent that could be crowned champions, the coach brushed aside the weight of the occasion, praised Porto’s strength and insisted on the same idea from start to finish: the preparation does not stray from the norm, nor from the team’s identity. And he assured: “we really want to fight for the result.”

At a time when the season is approaching major decisions and the Dragão looms as the stage for a possible coronation, Custódio Castro remained faithful to a message of stability. The Alverca coach refused to treat the visit to FC Porto as a break from routine and made competitive ambition the central message of a press conference without flourishes, but full of intent.

Faced with the special weight of the match, whether because of the stadium, the opponent or the league context, Custódio Castro sought to bring everything back to the essentials. The tone was measured and methodical: for Alverca, an exceptional occasion does not alter the process.

“It is special and important because it is the next one. It is our next battle. We really want to play a good game, we really want to fight for the result,” he said. “We are prepared for every kind of atmosphere, for every kind of opposing team, but we do not do anything differently when it is FC Porto, Nacional, Vitória or Arouca. There are no differences. We always prepare in the same way, with the same belief, the same professionalism and the same rigor. And, I hope, with the same ambition.”

There is, in this response, a clear refusal to romanticize the moment. More than the symbolism of the trip, what matters to him is preserving consistency in behavior and preparation, as if his words were trying to shield the team from outside noise before moving on to the next subject: the scale of the opponent.

When the conversation turned to FC Porto’s growth since the first half of the season, the Alverca coach did not hesitate to acknowledge it. He did so, however, without giving up confidence in his team’s response.

“We are talking about a team that, by winning one of the next three matches, will be champions with full merit. A great team, equipped with great players, with a great coach. A very competent team in every phase, attacking and defensive, and that alone makes it a difficult game,” he said. “We believe greatly in our ability to compete and that is what we try to do, that is what we do. But we do not do it only against FC Porto, we try to do it in every game. I cannot predict the results. What I do know is that we will fight to be ourselves at the Dragão and to always be competitive.”

The praise for FC Porto comes without reservation, but never as an early surrender. Custódio Castro acknowledges the magnitude of the challenge and, at the same time, holds on to what he considers non-negotiable: staying true to his team, to its way of competing and to whatever the game demands.

Asked about the possibility of FC Porto celebrating the title against Alverca, the coach was blunt and pragmatic. He left no room for side distractions.

“That is something that does not concern us, it does not concern Alverca. What concerns Alverca is competing.”

The short sentence says a great deal about the mindset he wants to build. The opponent may take the field with the prospect of a celebration within reach, but Alverca, at least in the words of its coach, does not want to be anyone’s supporting cast.

Then, when asked about the fairness of a possible Porto title, Custódio Castro once again separated the accomplished fact from the overall assessment of the season. And, once again, he painted a flattering picture of FC Porto’s campaign.

“FC Porto are not champions yet, but I think they are very well positioned. By winning one of the next three games, they will be champions. If that happens, I think they would clearly be deserving champions,” he stressed. “All league winners have added merit because we are talking about the consistency needed to be champions after 34 matchdays. It is because that team is strong in every aspect of the game and of football.”

Without predicting the outcome, the coach recognized in FC Porto the consistency that usually underpins winning campaigns. And it was from that combination of respect for the leaders and faithfulness to his own plan that Alverca’s preview for the trip to the Dragão was built.

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