Farioli expects a more aggressive Sporting than at Estádio do Dragão | OneFootball

Francesco Farioli, FC Porto coach, spoke in the preview of the first leg of the Portuguese Cup semi-finals, at Alvalade, against Sporting:

Do you think Sporting will present themselves differently from what you recently encountered at the Dragão, for the League?

«Being a different competition, things are different. Our focus is entirely on the Cup. The style of both teams is very clear. There will be some differences compared to the last game, because after the match Sporting played against us, they changed their approach quite a bit. For the first time, they started pressing man-to-man in the two previous games. Given the team they are, I don't believe that, in front of their fans, they will sit back in a medium block waiting for us. I believe they will be more aggressive than they were here at the Dragão. We are playing against a team that has been doing a fantastic job since coach Rui Borges took charge. In the League and the Portuguese Cup, in 52 games they have only one defeat, which was against us. That says a lot about the incredible work they are doing and the quality of their team.»

Can FC Porto surprise Sporting as they did at Alvalade in the League?

«We are at a stage where the level of knowledge about our opponents is becoming very high. There are always small changes. The game is always very tactical and what usually makes the difference is the way teams decide to approach the match. Tomorrow will be a key point. They also know what to expect from us, because we are very predictable: we give everything to press all our opponents and we will do the same tomorrow. It will be an open game, played face to face, with different moments throughout the match. In some, we will have to defend very well, be humble, in our own half, but our intentions are clear. There will be adaptations, some surprises may happen due to the characteristics of the players, but I expect a match between two courageous teams.»

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