Seko Fofana: “We must stick together with the Porto family’s support” | OneFootball

Alongside Francesco Farioli at the press conference previewing FC Porto–Nottingham Forest, the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals scheduled for this Thursday at the Estádio do Dragão (8:00pm, Sport TV5), Seko Fofana said that the blue-and-whites are “prepared” to face “a strong and confident team.”

The Ivorian midfielder, who said he is “very honored” by the three goals he has already scored for FC Porto, highlighted the squad’s “personality,” the coach’s work, and left a message shared by the whole group: “We have to take it game by game and stay united with the support of the Porto family, who really want to see us win. We really want to be successful, but we have to take it game by game and focus only on the things we can control.”

Nottingham Forest“We’re prepared and we’ve studied the opposition well; we know they are a strong and confident team. They didn’t play this weekend and had the chance to rest, but that doesn’t tell us anything, and we are ready. We worked very well during the week for this match.”

Winning in front of the Porto family“Obviously, it’s very important to win the match at home, but what happens tomorrow won’t determine everything. We have a lot of ambition and we want to get a good result at home.”

Happy with the Dragão on my chest“First of all, I’m sure I made the best choice by coming to FC Porto; I was welcomed very well by the Porto family. I’m very happy here, but tomorrow there is a very important match and we still have many challenges ahead until the end of the season. I’m focused on tomorrow’s match, and I’ll make my decision in the future.”

The goal and the draw with Famalicão“It’s always a pleasure to score a goal. I was happy, first of all, because of the team’s work, but we are always learning. It’s hard for us not to have won that match, but that’s part of football. We have to move forward and think about tomorrow’s match, which is very important. We need to be able to turn everything into something positive. With the team we have and with our mentality, we will be able to achieve our objectives.”

Three goals in blue and white“I’m very honored by the three goals I’ve scored here at FC Porto, but it’s a team effort. There are players we miss a lot, like Samu and Luuk de Jong, but our style of play means everyone can score goals. We have a strong team that knows how to play, no matter who is out there. I hope I can score more goals and help the team win.”

A united group with personality“Since I arrived, I’ve seen a group with great personality. I have a lot of respect for what they did before I arrived, and this stage of the season is difficult for everyone. My role is to always be ready and prepared to help my teammates and put my qualities at the service of the team. It’s a great pleasure for me to be here every day. I hope we can play a great match tomorrow and in the ones that follow, because FC Porto deserves everything it is experiencing at this moment.”

Easy and quick integration“I was fortunate to settle in quickly; everyone made my integration easier and I’m grateful for that. We have very important matches ahead and everyone is eager to play in them, because everyone knows their role and that the team is what matters most. The Portuguese league is different and there are still people discovering who Seko Fofana is, but it’s a pleasure to be here and work with our coach, who helps us improve every day.”

The title race calculations“We have the team to be the best in all three competitions, but we can’t be doing the math. Everyone has their role, whether as a starter or a substitute, but we have to take it game by game and stay united with the support of the Porto family, who really want to see us win. We really want to be successful, but we have to take it game by game and focus only on the things we can control.”

The bond created with Andrea Carnevale at Udinese“I was lucky to be with him at Udinese and he is someone who gave me a lot, but there are things that can’t be explained. I’m happy with everything I’ve achieved throughout my career and it’s a huge pleasure to be here at FC Porto. I can’t make projections because tomorrow we have an important match and there will be others after this one. Today’s reality may not be tomorrow’s reality, so the most important thing is to enjoy each day as it comes.”

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