FC Porto gear up for “tough” Liga BPI season: “We’re ready” | OneFootball

FC Porto’s women’s team continues preparing for the new season in Arcos de Valdevez. This Wednesday, Daniel Chaves led the second day of the training camp for the national second-division champions, who will make their Liga BPI debut in September. Maria Inês Nogueira and Maria Negrão spoke to the club’s media about the “very challenging season” awaiting them in the top flight.

“We have to prepare with sacrifice and determination, because it won’t be easy at all and no one is going to give us anything; we have to chase what we want. The first division is much more demanding, with far more competitive teams, but this is the level FC Porto wants to be at, and this is where FC Porto wants to win titles. We know where we came from, we know where we are, and we know the responsibility we have in representing this club,” Maria Negrão told the club’s media.

Last season, the 22-year-old midfielder was part of the blue-and-white squad and finished the campaign with five goals in 27 matches. Now in her second season with the Dragons, Maria Negrão highlighted the role of the more experienced players in helping the new signings settle in, describing the training camp as “very positive”: “It has been a very positive camp. We’ve been integrating the new teammates and building relationships on and off the pitch. It’s always important to welcome the players who have just arrived. A lot of people left, and new players have also come in to help the team, and our role, as players who have been here longer, is to pass on the club’s values so they truly understand what it means to represent this badge. Building a group and having great unity is the most important thing, because it brings us closer to victory.”

Among the new faces is Maria Inês Nogueira, a 22-year-old defender, who emphasized the team’s spirit of unity and the high standards associated with representing FC Porto. “The team is united, strong, and training has been intense. I feel good, and I know the team feels the same way. It has been really good. Everyone is willing to help, which is what I expected when I arrived. I feel like I’m already part of this group. FC Porto is a very competitive club. I hadn’t played in Portugal for many years, and I like feeling this competition. We are Porto in every training session, and we always have to give everything.”

Regarding the 2026/27 schedule, announced following Wednesday’s draw, both players acknowledged the difficulty of the competition but showed confidence ahead of the new challenge. “We’re going to have a challenging start and an even tougher final stretch, but we know our worth and we just have to approach every game as if it were a final, because that’s how FC Porto plays every match,” said Maria Negrão.

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