Villas-Boas wants Diogo Jota tribute, stresses ‘will to win’ | OneFootball

FC Porto president André Villas-Boas acknowledged this Thursday the difficulty of the Champions League draw and stressed that the “dragons’” European history raises the level of expectation for the current campaign.

“It’s a fantastic feeling for us and for the fans. FC Porto are still two-time European champions and have a long history in the competition. We carry the weight of our history and the responsibility to do well, in a draw that is always complicated, especially against English teams,” he said in comments to Canal 11 after the draw held in Nyon, Switzerland.

In the league phase, FC Porto will face Manchester City, European champions in 2023, at the Estádio do Dragão, and will travel to Anfield to take on Liverpool.

“We are talking about the highest-level competition, which has changed radically in its competitive format in recent years,” said Villas-Boas, stressing that the club must “respect its history” and take on the responsibility that comes with its European journey.

The president also highlighted the duels with clubs that maintain links to the Porto squad. The “dragons” will play in the Netherlands against Feyenoord, a club involved in Gonçalo Borges’ recent transfer, and will host PSV Eindhoven at the Estádio do Dragão.

Feyenoord finished the last edition of the Champions League among the teams that played in the play-off for a place in the round of 16. PSV Eindhoven will be another of the opponents to visit Porto’s stadium.

A possible return to the Benito Villamarín Stadium in Seville to face Betis was also mentioned by Villas-Boas. The president recalled FC Porto’s link to the city, where the club won the UEFA Cup in 2003.

The meeting with Liverpool at Anfield could also serve to honor Diogo Jota, a former player of both clubs, who died in July.

“It is also a way for FC Porto and Liverpool to come together in honoring Diogo Jota in a Champions League match at Anfield, with all the history he has between the two clubs,” he said.

Villas-Boas stressed that the return to the Champions League comes at a time when FC Porto has taken on “a commitment to victory,” after Francesco Farioli led the team to the Portuguese league title, ending a four-year drought.

“Above all, we have a commitment to victory, which was recently achieved with Francesco Farioli, who gave us the title after four years, and we want to believe that we have a competitive team capable of fighting,” he said.

In addition to Manchester City, Liverpool, Betis, Feyenoord and PSV, the draw also placed Napoli, Slavia Prague and LASK in Porto’s path. FC Porto will host the first two and travel to Austria to face the team from Linz.

Making their debut in the current league-phase format, the “dragons” will play eight matches, split between four at home and four away. The top eight teams in the standings advance directly to the round of 16, while clubs placed between ninth and 24th will have to play a play-off to reach the next round.

FC Porto’s president also spoke about the final days of the transfer window, considering the squad to be “balanced,” although the club remains alert to possible opportunities to strengthen it.

“The market can fluctuate a lot in these final days. We have a very balanced team, with one or two gaps where we want to intervene, if the market allows. The aim will always be to strengthen the team,” he said.

The president also assured that the club intends to keep players considered essential, ruling out any scenario involving the departure of goalkeeper and captain Diogo Costa. Villas-Boas also highlighted the importance of integrating Polish centre-backs Jan Bednarek and Jakub Kiwior into the “dragons’” defense.

The Champions League league phase will begin between 8 and 10 September 2026 and end on 27 January 2027. The top eight teams will secure direct qualification for the round of 16, while the teams placed between ninth and 24th will contest the play-off for a place in the next stage.

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