Farioli on Vitória SC: “They’ll be tough opponents again tomorrow” | OneFootball

Francesco Farioli previewed FC Porto’s encounter with Vitória SC in the quarter-finals of the League Cup, to be played at Estádio do Dragão, and gave an update on the competition:

“The last games were for different competitions, there are many books on the table. But this is another tournament, and the desire is to do our best, understanding the team’s current moment and our needs. But the goal is certainly to give our best. We’ve only won once since 2019 and we’re going to try to do something different.”

The Dragons’ coach also spoke about the squad’s physical availability:

“We have to assess the team. In the last two games we had players with some issues, especially with their knees. We need to evaluate that before naming the starting eleven and making decisions, so we can have balance and, above all, preserve the players’ integrity and physical health. And of course, the important thing is to win. We are working hard. Today the squad list will be announced later than usual because we are trying everything to get the players fit for the match. Maybe tomorrow the situation will be a bit more complicated than usual, but whoever steps onto the pitch will seize the opportunity and try their best to move on to the next round.”

Francesco Farioli also assessed FC Porto’s start to the season:

“Very positive. First, considering the group’s level of commitment, the speed with which they changed their mentality. If I go back to July 15, the players’ mentality, the emotions that were around here… I think we did a good job. Thanks to the players, of course, and to the people who are with me every day at Olival. The level of commitment and love for this club is surreal, it’s something you can sense just by being here every day. I think we did our job in turning things around and getting on the right track. But we can’t believe the job is done when we come from two seasons where the gap to Sporting was 29 points – over both seasons – and to Benfica almost 20… We have a huge job ahead and we must keep demanding more in pursuit of our goal.”

The coach commented on his presence at the Dragões de Ouro Gala:

“I had already been told what it was like, and I had seen some videos from previous editions. But experiencing something like that is unique, I really enjoyed it. I’m starting to understand Portuguese better and, because of that, I understood 90% of the speeches given during the night. I’d like to mention two moments: the first was at the Museum, when we arrived, which was essential to understand the context and where we are. And then, that night, with all the emotion, the love for FC Porto. It’s something very special and unique.”

Farioli recalled the victory against Estoril on Sunday:

“It’s never easy to win football matches. If we look at the last two seasons and the two direct rivals… I saw comments saying that in the last games we only won by one goal, but against our rivals we have a 13-point difference… We won against a strong opponent, who caused us a lot of problems. The fact that we’re playing every three days is an extra difficulty, we have to deal with that. And of course, credit to Estoril. They’re a team that moves a lot and that opened up several opportunities. And with the ones we had, we could have scored more goals. And if that had happened, we’d be talking about another great night at the Dragão. We showed resilience, the ability to suffer, and as Diogo said, the most important thing is to move forward, win, and improve our performances.”

Francesco Farioli also referred to the three goalkeepers in the squad:

“I’m happy with this question because it’s rare to have three experienced goalkeepers, who are among the group’s leaders, players who set the standards high. Unfortunately, you can’t see the way they train, but it’s something impressive. They are an incredible example for everyone, especially the younger ones… We’ll try to give each of them what they deserve. Unfortunately, only one goalkeeper can play and I’ll make my decision for tomorrow.”

“Is Alan Varela available for the match? He’s fully recovered.”

Regarding the League Cup opponent, the 36-year-old coach commented:

“They’ve had some adjustments, changes, but they’re in a positive moment. They come from positive results in the league. In the first game against us they caused us problems, and tomorrow I expect them to be very competitive again. They can present different scenarios, they are very strong tactically, with the ability to adapt to various moments of the game. It will be a tough match and we’ll try to find the best weapons to put Vitória in difficulty.”

As for the condition of Deniz Gül and Luuk de Jong:

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