José Mourinho still unsure over defence ahead of Porto v Benfica | OneFootball

José Mourinho gave, this Wednesday, the preview for Porto - Benfica, regarding the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup. In a press conference, the “Special One” was asked who will replace Otamendi and did not go into details about António Silva’s situation.

“Either António or Gonçalo Oliveira. I can’t guarantee you that António will play, but I also don’t want to risk lying and say that he won’t play,” said the coach, admitting uncertainty regarding the physical condition and choice of partner for Tomás Araújo in the defensive line.

In addition to the two most direct options, Mourinho revealed that there are other names being considered. “António, Gonçalo [Oliveira], Tomás [Araújo] and João Fonseca are all called up.”

Thinking that António might not play and that Fonseca could be a backup. It’s not clear yet,” explained José Mourinho, opening the door for João Fonseca, a young center-back who has 1,108 minutes with the B team, to emerge as a safety option in the plan drawn up for the match.

The classic is scheduled for tomorrow, January 14th. The match will kick off at 8:45 pm at Estádio do Dragão. This decisive game is valid for the quarter-finals of the Taça de Portugal Generali Tranquilidade, promising strong emotions, and will be broadcast on RTP 1.

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