Custódio Castro feels Alverca are ready to give FC Porto a good game | OneFootball

Custódio Castro admitted the challenges Alverca will face when hosting the leader FC Porto, but expressed confidence that his team could surprise.

“Looking at our season, we have played well against the expectations placed on Alverca. We feel that we are competitive in almost every match. It is with this humility, will, and ambition that we hope to present ourselves tomorrow [on Monday].”

FC Porto has only recorded one draw in the I Liga, against Benfica, and has won all the matches played away from home.

For Custódio Castro, the credit for Porto's campaign this season goes entirely to the coach Francesco Farioli.

“We will face a very strong FC Porto and, in my opinion, it has a lot to do with the coach who is very good. He brought a style of play and an identity that aligns with the club's culture and did very well in strengthening the team.”

The match with FC Porto is expected to be sold out, and Alverca's coach expects a positive response from the Ribatejo team, especially since he considers the team more stabilized, despite the 1-0 defeat in Arouca in the previous round.

“The team is increasingly prepared. Our growth has not been linear, but we have grown individually and collectively, and we see that the team has been gaining value.”

Regarding new additions to the squad, Alverca's coach, who occupies the 10th place on the table, preferred not to reveal if he requested any “gift” for the winter market.

“We are always very attentive and we know what we have to do in the market, but our focus is only on tomorrow's game [Monday].”

Alverca, 10th with 17 points, hosts the leader FC Porto, with 40, at the Alverca Sports Complex on Monday at 18:45, in the 15th round of the I Liga, with João Pinheiro from the Braga association officiating.

In the five previous visits of the ‘dragons’ for the championship, Alverca only once ‘stole’ points from FC Porto – in 1999/2000, when the Ribatejo team, then led by José Romão, drew 1-1 with the ‘blue and whites’ of Fernando Santos.

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