FC Porto women take on Benfica in the Super Cup this Sunday | OneFootball

FC Porto’s women’s team face Benfica in the Super Cup this Sunday from 5:15pm at the Estádio Municipal do Fontelo, live on RTP1. Daniel Chaves admits that “the goal is to compete for the trophy and win it”. The coach acknowledges that “the steps taken over the last two seasons serve as motivation, but also bring great responsibility”, stresses that “FC Porto want to be in finals fighting for titles” and assures that the group will “represent the Club in the best possible way”.

Return to Fontelo “It is always a symbolic moment for us, because this is where it all began and where we played our first official match. Being here to compete in this competition two years later says a lot about our development and the rapid growth of this project. The big step we have taken over these two seasons has to serve as motivation, but it is also a great responsibility to move from that pitch to this stadium. All of this is symbolic, but it also brings added responsibility.”

Being Porto “Above all, an FC Porto true to itself, as we have seen over these last two years. An FC Porto that wants to be FC Porto in every match it plays and to represent the Club the way it has to. We are trying to adopt the same behaviours, especially in terms of game dynamics, but we know there has been a big change. We had some setbacks that ended up delaying our work and the creation of some collective dynamics for this game. We know that on the other side there is a project with continuity that will probably make only three changes to the starting eleven, changes that add even more quality to Benfica as a team. We have to be ready for that. We had to adapt quickly, in about a month, but with a great sense of responsibility for the club we represent. I hope the setbacks will not be a problem tomorrow and that they will serve as motivation. The important thing is to go in knowing that we have a competition to play in and to win.”

The first of many Super Cups “As I said in the Portuguese Cup final, FC Porto have to be in these contests, have to be in finals and have to fight for titles. We are aware of where the two teams stand. We cannot compare only the collective reality of the two clubs without considering the structural differences in their women’s football projects. On the other side we have a team that is prepared to compete in the Champions League and that strengthened its squad to have a better run than last year. On this side, we have a team that is growing every year and raising its competitive level. That is our ambition. I expect a strong Benfica, with well-established ideas, that will cause us a lot of difficulty in tomorrow’s match.”

Another final “All coaches want to fight for titles and this Club allows us to do that, but it takes a great ability to adapt. This is a growing project; every year there have been major changes and new realities that require the group to adapt, the squad to be consolidated and the need to turn it into a team. That ability to adapt and readapt has added a great deal to me personally. That is why I say that this is the difference for tomorrow’s match compared to the opponent. They have had a team built over several years and players who play together both at club level and for the national team. We are growing, adapting, and that takes time. That will be our challenge.”

Ready for anything “It is difficult to train for extra time, but we tried to make some physical adjustments. The setbacks we have faced and the injuries that came up forced us to make some adjustments from a tactical point of view for tomorrow’s match, but we will go in with the same ambition as always. Our goal is to compete for the trophy and win it. We know how Benfica play, but we are ready for anything, including penalties. However, the objective will always be to win the match in the 90 minutes.”

Extra motivation “At a club like FC Porto, motivation always has to be there. We know the taste of a first win is not the same as a fifth or sixth, but ambition at a big club always has to be present, because the journey makes no sense any other way. Since we have a young squad dealing with this kind of situation for the first time, we know the level of concentration will have to be high and the hunger to win as well. On the other side, experience will help Benfica, a team with several internationals, with players used to playing at this level and, emotionally, that brings greater comfort, especially in the opening minutes.”

The Porto family “FC Porto have been a major driving force in women’s football. We could see that in the Portuguese Cup final. I do not know whether Benfica had ever brought as many supporters to a match as they did against FC Porto. Our supporters have been a key part of our journey and are always there when we need them. We have supporters travelling around the country to follow us and their presence is essential in pushing us on, especially through adversity. We need that extra motivation and we know our supporters will not let us down.”

Summer signings “We also tried to bring some experience into the squad, because we felt it was lacking. Our squads have always been very young and, in this third year, we brought in experienced players who will help manage the group and contribute to the growth of the younger players. On top of that, they add characteristics that can be vital in giving us more resources each week. We tried to add some variety to the options for matches, as well as bringing in players with experience in Liga BPI and in international settings.”

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