Farioli downplays Villas-Boas' claim Porto are favourites vs Sporting | OneFootball

Francesco Farioli gave a preview this Sunday, February 8, of the Porto - Sporting match, the Classic that will take place next Monday at the Estádio Dragão. Among various topics, the coach of the northern team was questioned about the words of André Villas-Boas, in which the president ended up giving 'favoritism' to the lions. However, the coach thinks it wasn't quite like that.

"I think the words sound one way if you read them, if you listen, I think the context is a bit more articulated. In the president's words, at the beginning, he talks about the reality of the two clubs, Sporting comes from two championships, with experience and money from the Champions League, and we are a club that is rebuilding, working hard to take it where it belongs and that is where we are," Farioli began, continuing.

"In this case, more than talking about the moment, it's about the period we are in. On July 15, when we started the season, we all paid and signed to be where we are now, in a good position to win the league, in the round of 16 of the Europa League, and in the race for the Portuguese Cup. We are where we wanted, dreamed, and deserve to be. The games we won, we did so with everyone's effort. I express my gratitude to the club for the work they did in the two markets to make the team solid, compact, and balanced in all positions. We have all the tools to compete in the three competitions. We are all aligned and on the same page about where and how we want to go, and especially who we want to be in the next three months," added the Porto coach.

After 20 matches played, the team led by Rui Borges now has 51 points and remains in second place in the Liga Portugal Betclic standings. Porto has 55 and is in first place. Meanwhile, Benfica is third with 46.

The green and white team will return to the field next Monday, February 9, also against Porto. The match, counting for the 21st round of Liga Portugal Betclic, against the team led by Francesco Farioli, will be played at the Estádio do Dragão at 8:45 PM.

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