Dedic exit, key absence and Palhinha: Marco Silva on Casa Pia - Benfica | OneFootball

previewed Casa Pia vs Benfica, the match of the 2nd round of the Liga Portugal Betclic, scheduled for 8:15pm on Monday, 17 August, at the Estádio Municipal de Rio Maior. Amar Dedic to Newcastle, the absence of Fredrik Aursnes and interest in João Palhinha were the main topics.

Poor recent record against Casa Pia

"When a few results start to pile up, it naturally draws attention, but every match has to demand full focus and be treated like a final. We can call them finals, without wanting to put that weight on them, but we cannot approach them any other way. The last three results against this opponent can raise that warning sign because people have been talking about it. We have to approach every game in the same way, regardless of the results from recent seasons."

Dedic's move to Newcastle

"As nothing is official yet, at this moment I can tell you he will be out of the game. Right now I can say he will be left out of the squad and has not been involved in preparations for the match. I have feedback from the board that things are already at a fairly advanced stage. He was a player that we at Benfica did not want to lose, but that is part of it, the transfer window is open. At this moment we have two options for the right flank, Alexander Bah and Daniel Banjaqui. In short, he will be out and it is a process that is under way, possibly closer to happening than not happening."

Playing after rivals have won

"It makes sense to look at it that way. We do not control what happens on other pitches. After the draw in the first round, this game is important precisely for that reason. As I said, we do not live off moral victories. We have to be strong in many moments and not just one or two. It is not pleasant if there is a setback, but we have to be strong. As for the opponents having already played, we have to get used to it. We want to be in every competition, this will be a constant. In 90 per cent of the games we will play after our rivals. We have to take the good things from what we did against Académico and, as for the rest, since we do not control it, it is not worth wasting energy on it."

Aursnes out and Lukebakio staying

"(Aursnes) will not be involved in tomorrow's game... On his personal side (Lukebakio), there was not much to clarify. He did not get any feedback from us, in one direction or the other. He is our player and he has to fight for his place, prove that he has the ability to be decisive. He was asked the question and gave his opinion and expressed his wish. Any decision I may make will be for the good of Benfica. He said he would like to be here. It was the first game in which he started. By the time he scored, he was already feeling cramps. He needs games. Last year he did not play much. At the World Cup he had his moments, but not consistently."

Positions to strengthen

"There are some urgent positions, there is no point hiding it. You are doing your job, and doing it well. Dedic is a player of great value, one we would not like to lose. If it happens, it will be for other reasons. We lost António and did not replace him, so that is clearly a position where it is important to sign someone, and sign well. I am not going to specify the positions, but there are some we have to strengthen. The idea is for us to be stronger as a team. There are positional profiles that are important to me, in the way we attack and defend. What we are trying to do is sign players within what I passed on to the board. I did not answer about João because I am not going to single anyone out. I am not going to say whether it is the position... I am not going to say it here. We know what we want."

A better communicator than Rui Borges and Farioli?

"What I want is to be a good coach for Benfica. That is my priority, in every aspect. When I speak to you, I try to be transparent and go as far as I can. In many of these moments I am also speaking to those who matter to me, our supporters. Sometimes people say they are messages, but that is not the aim. It is the great weapon this space gives me. To try to make sure people do not see a different game from the one I saw, and nothing more. I do not go into comparisons with anyone. I want to be a good coach. That is my goal every day at this club."

Analysis of past games against Casa Pia

"To identify that, I would have to watch all the games, different opponents, different coaches. It might help to understand a few things, but it would not give me much in terms of guarantees of winning the game. In terms of dynamics, they are two technically different teams. The only thing they have in common is the clubs themselves. We do not have to think about that. We have to think about how to react to a bad result. We did not win in the first round and it is just a coincidence that we are now facing Casa Pia."

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