Farioli: “Benfica had nearly a week to get ready for the Clássico” | OneFootball

Francesco Farioli discusses FC Porto's preparation period for the Classic against Benfica and rejects that this could serve as an excuse for this Sunday's match at the Dragon Stadium.

Preparation for the Classic

"Benfica played on Tuesday, so they had almost a week to prepare for the match. We only started preparing it after the Arouca match. It's a different scenario, but this is football, there are many games and it's not an excuse to have less time to prepare for the match. In this Saturday's training, the whole group trained and we are ready for tomorrow's match".

"If we go to the recent past, the game with Chelsea is a good example of these different strategies. One of the main characteristics of Mourinho's teams is to be very chameleonic, in the management of the games with the ball, but especially without it. The ability to manage the rhythms of the game, the zonal markings in the recovery. The dynamics and scenarios are many. We prepared the game with attention, trying to find solutions for these scenarios. We also have to be open to something unexpected, of course. We did our job. It's an important game, there's no denying that evidence".

Dense schedule of games

"The schedule didn't help. Playing three games in six days is not something we wish for, but it's the reality. The group managed it very well, we achieved good results, everyone played. Everyone helped, which allows me to choose the best 11 out of 22 or 23 players that make up the team".

"There are several possibilities. Alberto is ready, Pablo has fully recovered from the 90 minutes he played in the Europa League. We'll see tomorrow".

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