Tiago Margarido: “FC Porto? As a rule, Nacional never parks the bus” | OneFootball

“It’s a very different FC Porto from the one we had the opportunity to face last season. They have strengthened very well, increased their individual quality, and consequently, their collective quality,” revealed the ‘helmsman’ of the islanders at a press conference at Estádio da Madeira, in Funchal.

Despite the positive moment of the ‘blue and white’ team, now led by the Italian Francesco Farioli and leading the league with four wins in four rounds, Margarido emphasized that the Madeirans will face the challenge “in a dignified manner” and without limiting themselves only to defensive aspects.

“As a principle, Nacional never parks the bus. Sometimes, it’s the opponents who push our team back and we have to defend, because we are here to compete and earn points,” he noted.

Witi represented the Mozambique national team as a starter in the defeat against Uganda (4-0) and in the victory over Botswana (2-0), having scored one of the goals in these matches of the African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

For this reason, Tiago Margarido did not guarantee the inclusion of the Mozambican winger in the starting eleven and indicated that he should make more changes compared to the team that beat Casa Pia 2-0 in the last round.

Regarding the threat of Nacional’s absence due to problems booking flights to Porto, the 36-year-old coach stated that this issue “did not affect” the group and is now completely resolved.

“As a coach, my only concern is that the team can travel under conditions that are at least minimal and dignified for a professional football team. But fortunately, that matter has been resolved,” he stressed.

Deivison Souza, Miguel Baeza, and Ivanildo Fernandes are recovering from injuries and have no expected return date, and are confirmed absences for the match.

Nacional, who are in ninth place with four points, will visit league leaders FC Porto, with 12 points, on Saturday at 18:00 at Estádio do Dragão in Porto, in a match that will be refereed by Luís Godinho from the Évora Association.

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