João Brandão previews Leixões game: “We want to win this match” | OneFootball

FC Porto B closes out round 30 of the Segunda Liga against Leixões SC at Olival, with João Brandão pointing to an intense match, demanding in duels and decisive in the way the Dragons want to assert themselves at home. In the build-up, the coach highlighted the opponent’s good form, asked his team for aggression and personality, and framed it all within the permanent mission of promoting young players without giving up competitive ambition. Alongside him, Mateus Mide reinforced the need for freedom and conviction, while Brandão assured: “We want to go into this game to win.”

At the CTFD Jorge Costa, the atmosphere was one of calm expectation, but with no room for complacency. João Brandão, FC Porto B’s coach, delivered a clear message: respect Leixões’ current form, protect the team’s identity and attack the challenge with the right mentality, at a stage where the development of younger players continues to go hand in hand with the demand to compete to win.

Asked about the opponent, Brandão was direct in describing a team on the rise and a game that promises to be tough from the very first minute. The focus, more than on the opponent’s name, was on how FC Porto B will have to respond to the intensity the match demands.

“It is a team in good form, the results show that. The way they have climbed the table says a lot about their current run.”, he said. “Since Fangueiro came in, they have shown more of what Leixões SC is, an aggressive team and very strong in duels. We will certainly have a very intense game, in which our levels of aggression have to be very high. We have to be very competent in defensive and offensive duels and in second balls. Then we have to try to impose our dominant game, with attacking intent and clarity to exploit the spaces that appear.”

In the coach’s view, the game calls for competitive grit, but also composure. The picture he paints of Leixões is of a team capable of pushing the match into physical territory, and that forces Porto to find a balance between aggression and lucidity.

The recent history of these meetings at Olival also came up, and Brandão did not avoid it. On the contrary, he took it as a starting point for a response he wants to see reflected in the team’s behavior and in its connection with the fans.

“Recent history tells us that FC Porto B have been successful at Estádio do Mar, but Leixões have also been successful here at Olival.”, he stressed. “We want to change that, and it is in our hands to change that recent history against a team that is very competent away from home and creates difficulties through the way it approaches the game. We have to bring our fans with us through an attractive, combative game that reflects FC Porto. We have to impose our game with personality, authority, courage and quality. There is still a lot to play for and many points to fight for.”

In the coach’s words, there is an idea of making a statement that goes beyond simply correcting a statistic. Reversing the recent trend here means, above all, imposing a recognizable identity, with courage and emotional control, without losing sight of what is still at stake.

The promotion of young talent then emerged as a central topic, almost the backbone of the season. Brandão framed that work without separating it from the competitive duty of a club like FC Porto.

“Regardless of the results, worse at the beginning and better now, the purpose of the B team is to promote young players. We know we represent FC Porto and that FC Porto goes onto every pitch to win.”, he explained. “We want to go into this game to win, that is our intention and that is how we have prepared for the game. The door is open for these quality young players, as long as they are ready and do the work they have to do, which is to be fully dedicated every day. It is a huge source of pride to see how they arrive here prepared, determined and fearless. That is the result of a lot of very good work within the club’s academy.”

The coach thus outlined the formula he is seeking: grow without giving up on competing, provide a stage without lowering the level of demand. The message is consistent with the nature of the B team, where the future is always developed under the pressure of the present.

On the week of preparation, Brandão described days marked by movement between squads and by positive signs coming from other competitive settings within the club. Even so, he reduced everything to the essential: the mental response at match time.

“Like the other weeks, this one was a little unusual. Fortunately, we had players involved in the first team’s match preparation and others included in the squad for the Europa League.”, he said. “The under-19s got another important win in our push to win the national title. If we go in with the right mentality, we can win.”

It is a simple idea, but a revealing one: in a context where the team thrives on movement, development and opportunities, stability has to come from attitude. And it was precisely along those lines that Mateus Mide appeared to reinforce the group’s confidence.

The forward spoke about Leixões soberly, refusing to treat the challenge any differently. The opponent, he said, demands a lot, but the focus remains on the same objective.

“We look at this opponent the same way we look at all the others. We know it will be a difficult game against an opponent that demands a lot in duels. We approach this game positively so that we can get the three points.”

The sentence fits the overall tone of the preview: respect without hesitation, caution without fear. FC Porto B want to recognize the difficulties without turning them into a brake.

Mide also underlined the team’s recent strength at Olival, turning that fact into motivation for what lies ahead. In his words, home is something to protect.

“We know we are the only team that still has not lost at home in 2026, so we want to keep it that way and get the three points.”

It is a detail that builds confidence and, at the same time, increases responsibility. Because protecting that consistency at home also means continuing the competitive growth Brandão described.

Finally, the young forward spoke about himself and the way he is living this moment, between early responsibility and the desire to make the most of every opportunity. He did so with a naturalness that helps explain the line the coach valued so highly.

“It means a lot of responsibility to know that at my age I can already represent a professional team, but I look at it in a positive way. We have to play with joy and enjoy the moment.”

That is perhaps where FC Porto B’s message comes full circle: demands, yes, but without losing freshness; responsibility, yes, but without holding back boldness. To face a Leixões side in good form, Brandão asks for aggression and mentality; Mide adds joy. In the meeting of those two ideas lies Porto’s ambition for this round.

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