Santa Clara hit back at Mourinho, Benfica boss’s words criticised | OneFootball

In the preview of the game with Santa Clara, José Mourinho described the condition of the pitch at Estádio São Miguel, where Benfica will play at the start of the 22nd round of the League, as a "problem". However, the Azorean SAD ensures that the 'turf' will be in normal conditions.

According to the newspaper Record, the island team assures that the squad now led by Petit does not use that pitch for preparation. "The field is definitely a problem. There are stadiums in the League where the standards are truly low for a league that aims to be high-level. Considering the weather conditions, it might be worse than it usually is," stated the Special One, exclusively to BTV.

It should be noted that the pitch of the venue has been spared. The last 'home' match for Santa Clara was 12 days ago, against Estoril. Therefore, the Azorean squad has avoided preparing at the stadium, using the training center instead, to keep the game pitch in the best possible condition.

In any case, the field at Estádio São Miguel has shown chronic problems due to the local geology and has already been rejected by Liga Portugal. Recently, in statements to RTP Açores, the majority shareholder of the Azorean SAD, Bruno Vicentin, emphasized the "urgent need for renovations and a new pitch, because the current one is at its limit".

Remember that Benfica - which was recently criticized - will take the field this Friday, February 13th, against Santa Clara, in a match related to the 22nd round of Liga Portugal Betclic. The match against the team led by Petit will be played at 6:30 PM, in the Azores.

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