FC Porto make women's top-flight debut against Valadares Gaia | OneFootball

The historic debut in the women’s First Division is about to happen. Daniel Chaves underlines the need to “get off to a winning start, especially as there are only 18 matchdays”. In the opening round, FC Porto host Valadares Gaia — “one of the best teams in the competition in recent years” — in Pedroso, in a match scheduled for Saturday at 5pm, live on FC Porto TV and Canal 11. The coach and Daniela Santos also make a joint appeal for the “vital support of the fans to secure the win”.

The centre-back says she is “Very excited” about the start of this journey in a “difficult context”, in which she hopes to “improve a lot”. Daniela Santos assures that the team will take to the pitch with “ambition, determination, a desire to win and commitment to the Club in order to achieve a good result”.

Daniel Chaves

Starting the league campaign with a win “In such a short league season, it is extremely important for us to start well. We want to begin the women’s league in the best possible way and mark our debut with a win, especially as there are only 18 matchdays, which makes this start very significant. It is very important to claim the first three points in this opening round.”

The opening-round opponent “We expect to face an opponent who, despite a major squad overhaul, comes off a very positive season — with a strong league finish and reaching the League Cup final — and has a lot of experience in the league. They really are one of the best teams in the competition in recent years, but for us it is essential to start the league in the best possible way and we will fight for the three points.”

The role of the fans “I expect from the fans the same as in every match so far: that they turn up and are very positive with us. We are now entering a different phase of the project, with greater demands and where the difficulties will be greater, so their support is vital if we are to have a positive season.”

Daniela Santos

The start of a new chapter “We are very excited. We know the context is difficult, but we want to improve a lot and, for that to happen, we have to be at our best level. We are very happy and hope to achieve a good result this weekend.”

What to expect from the debut “We are going to show our ambition, our determination, our desire to win and our commitment to the Club in order to achieve a good result.”

The encouragement of Porto fans “I hope they keep supporting us, because the strength they give us is vital for us to win. The match isn’t far away and the weather will be good, so it is the ideal setting for them to come and support us.”

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