FC Porto wary of Águas Santas clash: "It’ll be a tough game" | OneFootball

After the midweek European commitments, the championship returns on Saturday with seven matches counting towards the 20th round, with the main highlight being FC Porto’s (3rd) trip to Águas Santas (4th).

“It’s going to be a tough game, we know it’s a difficult venue to play in. Because of the atmosphere and the mystique of Águas Santas, that’s what we’re used to. The goal is always the same, to win. We know they’ve achieved some interesting results against the big teams, we’re aware of that and it adds some responsibility, but it only depends on us,” said Leonel Fernandes to the Porto club’s website, about the clash with the Maia team that beat Benfica on February 11.

FC Porto, currently in third place and six points behind leaders Sporting, comes into this match after having been defeated at home by Denmark’s Skanderborg in the Main Round of the European League (28-33). “There are certain things where we feel the difference between an international match and a domestic one, but we’re already used to that and I think, at this stage, switching gears is already natural. We quickly change our perceptions of the opponent and how we have to approach each game. The essence of our game remains the same, it’s not that big of a change,” analyzed the Portuguese international.

Also taking the field on Saturday is Benfica, second and five points behind Sporting with a game in hand, who host Arsenal da Devesa from Braga (reversed fixture); the Minho side are in last place and have yet to record a win. “It’s tough to play against this type of team, but we always have to stay focused on the game,” warned Dutchman Reinier Taboada, to the Eagles’ website.

The two-time champion Sporting only plays on Sunday, with a visit to Avanca.

20th ROUND

Marítimo 20:00 ABC

SATURDAY

Póvoa AC 18:00 FC Gaia

V. Guimarães 18:30 Belenenses

Águas Santas 18:30 FC Porto

Arsenal 20:00 Benfica (reversed fixture, at Luz)

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