FC Porto begin play-off final with Benfica clash at the Luz | OneFootball

The Portuguese Basketball League play-off starts this Sunday, with the first derby between Benfica and FC Porto scheduled for 4:00 p.m. at the Pavilhão da Luz in Lisbon.

The final will be played in a best-of-five series, and Benfica will have home-court advantage after finishing the regular season in first place. Even so, Porto’s American forward, Cornelius Hudson, expressed confidence in the squad. “We feel good, the coach has prepared us very well. We are united as a team,” he said, adding that the week had been devoted to preparing the team to be “at its best at the start of the series.”

For the Porto player, the formula for winning the opening game is to match the opponent’s intensity. “We have to be aggressive and match their intensity. We have to stay united and try to come away with the win,” he explained.

Looking back on the season’s difficulties, Cornelius Hudson highlighted the team’s ability to respond. “We managed to overcome everything we went through,” he said, before making an appeal to the fans: “We need everyone who can come and support us. We’ll be ready, as we have been all season.” The ambition is clear: “Now we want to win three games to take the championship.”

At the Luz, however, Norberto Alves is already preparing for a game with no room for ease. “Regardless of who the opponent was, it’s a final. It’s a moment when teams are going to play to win. The play-off always has a very strong physical and emotional component. They are coming off a great run, having eliminated Sporting without home-court advantage,” warned the Benfica coach.

“We have to focus on an FC Porto team that is in an excellent moment, both collectively and individually. They are very confident. We have to stay true to what we have been doing. Try to maintain the defensive levels we have shown. Solve, collectively, some problems they will pose to us individually. And also attack collectively. If we do that, while it won’t be easy—because it never is—the probability of winning is greater. I really like saying this, sometimes I even repeat myself: playing collectively cannot be a preference for us, it is a necessity to win a final. We know that from other years. We have repeated that to the boys, obviously. They need to stay focused on their tasks. Stay concentrated throughout the game. Understand the moments of selective attention that are required from each of them. Not have moments of distraction. If that happens, our chances of winning are good. If it doesn’t, it’s not easy to win. That is what we are preparing for this final,” revealed Norberto Alves.

“We fought hard throughout the season, game after game, to manage to finish the regular season in first place. I think that represents some advantage. I don’t know if it will be such a big advantage, but it is an advantage. We are going to start at home. It’s important to start well. They know that. At this stage of the season, after so many training sessions, we tried to ensure they have enough autonomy to understand, on the court, how they need to be in every moment, attacking, defending, in the bad moments and in the good moments. I think we have managed to do that. Now it is their turn to play to win, knowing they will face a difficult opponent who, I think, is in its best moment of the season,” praised the coach.

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