Mário Branco warns of Benfica’s tough task in Portuguese Cup: We must… | OneFootball

Mário Branco reacted this Thursday to the Portuguese Cup draw, where Benfica will face Chaves. In statements to journalists, the general director of the Clube da Luz highlighted the logistical aspects of traveling to the north of the country, namely a thousand-kilometer journey before the visit to Newcastle.

“Chaves is a tough opponent, who was recently in the top division. It will be a long trip, a thousand kilometers round trip, after the international break and before the visit to Newcastle for the Champions League. But we have to be prepared to be in the 4th round," said Mário Branco.

"At Benfica we are used to having a lot of support, people want to see the Club all over the country, and it will always be very interesting. We have to respect and be prepared,” concluded Mário Branco, highlighting the affection that the Glorioso fans show the players week after week.

With 26 wins in the Portuguese Cup, Benfica is the team that has won the Portuguese Cup the most times. Porto, with 20, and Sporting, with 17, are the clubs that follow the Eagles in second and third place, respectively. The last time the Eagles won the competition was in the 2016/17 season.

After the 1-1 draw between Benfica and Rio Ave, the team led by José Mourinho will return to the field next Friday at 8:15 p.m. at Estádio da Luz, hosting César Peixoto’s Gil Vicente. The match is part of the seventh round of Liga Portugal Betclic and the Eagles are only thinking about victory.

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