Guilherme Borges: “We want to start at 100%, fight for every ball” | OneFootball

Guilherme Borges, pivot for FC Porto’s handball team, looked ahead to Sunday’s home match against Belenenses, scheduled for 3:00 p.m., in the fourth round of the National Championship. After the first win in the Champions League, the player spoke about the group’s confidence, the need to quickly shift focus, and the ambition to turn Dragão Arena into a difficult venue for any opponent. Speaking about the blue and whites, he assured: “We want to come in at 100%, fight for every ball, and play a great game.”

The return to Dragão Arena comes at a moment of momentum for the Porto side, which is looking to carry the energy built up in Europe into the league. Guilherme Borges conveyed a message of intensity, hard work, and collective commitment, without underestimating a Belenenses side expected to give everything at Porto’s arena.

The first home win in the Champions League had a visible impact in the dressing room and reinforced the reward for a journey built on hard work. The pivot did not hide the emotional importance of that moment.

“It was very important to win our first home game in the Champions League. The group’s joy after the match was incredible; we deserved this and worked very hard to achieve this outcome,” he said. “Now we have to focus on the next challenges ahead of us.”

The enthusiasm, however, is not seen as an end point. In the pivot’s words, the European win matters above all for the boost it can give to what comes next.

FC Porto are going through a run that Borges sees as important for building confidence, even without forgetting the defeat in Veszprém. Among the recent results, the main goal remains clearly defined.

“We’re in a good moment. Even though we lost in Veszprém, we still had important and positive spells,” he assessed. “Then we beat Benfica and now RK Partizan. I think this run gives the group a lot of confidence and even more desire to keep working with our focus on our big goal, which is to become National Champions.”

Confidence is therefore presented as fuel to keep working, not as a reason to lower the intensity. It is with that balance that Porto are preparing for the next challenge.

On Belenenses, Guilherme Borges made it clear that preparations are already underway and refused to assume an easy match. The expectation is of a competitive opponent at Dragão Arena.

“We’ve already been given the necessary materials to study Belenenses. We know it won’t be an easy game, because they’re going to give everything here at Dragão Arena, but we’re ready to give the best response possible,” he explained. “We want to come in at 100%, fight for every ball, and play a great game.”

The message puts demands at the heart of Porto’s approach: study the opponent, impose intensity, and contest every play. An idea that goes beyond whoever happens to be in front of them.

Switching between competitions requires a quick change of mindset, but the pivot believes the group is ready to handle it. The formula is to maintain the same commitment in every match.

“It’s always complicated, but the group is mentally prepared to always go all in against any opponent, with great intensity, energy, and commitment. If we keep this mentality, we’ll get another home win.”

The ambition to win at home is tied to the identity Borges wants to see on the court. And that identity includes a direct connection with the Dragão Arena stands.

The pivot also expressed the desire to be someone capable of energizing teammates and fans alike. More than an individual role, he sees that energy as a way to turn the arena into a fortress.

“I always try to represent the fans on the court. I try to bring a lot of energy and lift the arena so that Dragão Arena can be a fortress and so that opponents know it will be practically impossible to beat us here,” he stressed. “That’s the goal: to play well, with intensity, and energize the group and the fans so that we can create a hostile atmosphere and truly feel at home.”

It is in that meeting point between intensity on the court and support in the stands that Guilherme Borges envisions the response against Belenenses. The aim is to make Dragão Arena a place where the team recognizes itself and where opponents feel, from the very first play, how difficult the task will be.

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