“It's a match that'll demand real grit, resilience and sacrifice” | OneFootball

The first derby did not go the European Champions’ way and ended in a 3-7 defeat at Dragão Arena, so home advantage is now with Sporting in the championship play-off semi-finals, played in a best-of-five series. The next clash is at Pavilhão João Rocha (Saturday, 7:00pm, Porto Canal), in Lisbon, and Paulo Freitas believes the Dragons will have to “put everything into the game,” because on the other side is “a very good team” and “very aggressive” at both ends of the rink. “It’s do or die and we’re going after what we want, which is to win,” added the coach. Ticket information is available here.

It takes both head and heart“We have to bring the two together (head and heart), and a lot of heart and soul are also part of the Club’s DNA. The context in which I made those remarks was the period when we had a numerical advantage after conceding those three goals on the underplay. At that point we played with a lot of heart and not enough head because we needed more emotional stability to do to them what they did to us. Tomorrow, it will take everything; we’re going into a battle and we’ll have to put everything into the game, do everything within our power to bring back a positive result. And a positive result means victory. That’s our aim.”

Another derby of maximum demand“We will have to come in with very high levels of determination. We will also have to show our quality, of course, and with a lot of confidence. We have to be confident because this is a team with a lot of quality. It is a collective confidence that has to overflow and reach our opponent. It will be a game that demands a lot of attitude, a lot of self-sacrifice, and a lot of fighting spirit. It’s do or die and we’re going after what we want, which is to win.”

At this stage of the season there are no surprises anymore“The two teams know each other so well that very few surprises can happen, if any. We know that on the other side there is a very good team, very aggressive both defensively and offensively. They are strong in physical duels and are a team that puts opponents under pressure, but we are focused on ourselves and prepared for the difficulties they will pose.”

The support of the FC Porto fans“In the last game I gave due credit to the fans who were at Dragão Arena because they carried us through all 50 minutes, even though they understood that the game had two parts, one up to the 41st minute and another in the final nine. I sincerely thanked them for what they did for us. If they can be there in Lisbon, we will be very grateful as well, but we know the logistical difficulties. Those who cannot be there will still be giving us energy through the television.”

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