Vasco Botelho da Costa: I'd have accepted a draw against Porto | OneFootball

Moreirense hosts FC Porto this Monday at 8:15 PM, in the match that concludes the 9th round. Aware that the blue-and-whites will seek to react to the defeat at Nottingham Forest, for the Europa League, coach Vasco Botelho da Costa also mentioned the impact of the elimination against Fafe in the Portuguese Cup, a competition in which the team suffered another defeat.

"If I say now that FC Porto will also want to respond, I would say this game would end in a draw, and I would even accept that result. These are different conditions, of course, but I have to say it's easy to be Moreirense's coach this week because if the mindset isn't switched on for a game with this visibility, it will hardly be switched on for others," said the coach from Minho, highlighting that the club is still undergoing "some structural changes": "We want to create an identity here, that's what we're heading towards. It's factual to say that good work is being done in Portuguese football as a whole, now with Liga 3 bringing a rising level. We have good players and good coaches coming from there, and we should be satisfied."

It's a tough game. The coach acknowledges the difficulty of the match: FC Porto is not just a name but a team that combines quality and great speed in their game. Despite the numbers – only one goal conceded and the best attack – the danger lies in the opponent's versatility, capable of playing in long or short transitions. "It's the most competent team in the championship, if the standings say so, we have to respect that. It will be a game where, at times, we won't be able to be the team we always want to be, and we'll have to be the team that FC Porto allows us to be. It ends up being normal, given the quality of the opponent. We will find space to hurt FC Porto at certain moments. They have very good pressure all over the field, so we'll draw a bit from the game at Alvalade, where we were also pressured all over the pitch. With the right strategy, we'll have a good game tomorrow."

Vasco Botelho da Costa

Moreirense Coach

Asked if they sought inspiration from the defensive strategies that limited FC Porto against Nottingham and Benfica, the coach responded cautiously: "Yes and no, because, in a way, it's good to understand that certain strategies work, but the players and the team are different, Moreirense won't have those players. On the other hand, we also feel that FC Porto might have some weaknesses, which might give us some insights on what to try. However, if I were in the FC Porto coach's shoes, I would work on those weaknesses, that's what we do here. We have our strategy, according to our own team, regardless of whether they have lost or not, we cannot stray from our characteristics. We worked well and are prepared."

Can the two consecutive defeats shake confidence? The coach believes that, because it's FC Porto, this effect will be reduced: "Because it's with FC Porto, I don't think it will. When we won consecutively, I came here to exercise that the victories couldn't influence us too much, we should do the opposite as well. I will always position the top five clubs of the 1st League on a different level, it's almost like playing two championships. Honestly, we work so that this doesn't weigh on us, we looked at the game with Fafe and drew our own conclusions, understanding the process. We will have to step out of our comfort zone, but that's positive because we also want to be a very versatile team to have various weapons at our disposal."

Injuries. "We have Kiko Bondoso. Schettine is also in doubt, but we have training in the morning, we'll see if he will be available."

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