Viktoria Plzen boss admits: “Porto are a Champions League side” | OneFootball

In the preview of the match against FC Porto, scheduled for Thursday, the coach recalled the defensive performance of the team led by Francesco Farioli in the Portuguese league, which has conceded only four goals.

“We know a lot about our opponent. They are a very strong and complex team, one of the sides playing in the Europa League with Champions League quality. Defensively, they are very strong, they don’t concede goals. They play at high intensity and know how to press individually, but also drop the block when necessary. It’s not by coincidence that they concede so few goals,” he emphasized at the press conference.

Martin Hysky also highlighted the effectiveness of the blue and whites in other phases of the game and pointed to forward Samu as the main attacking reference.

“They have a style of play that I like, in addition to the individual quality of their players. I like them a lot and would like us to play in a similar way. It will be a great challenge for us. They are also excellent in attack and in transition. For me, the key player is Samu. He’s a player who can score from anywhere,” he analyzed.

Despite occupying 14th place in the league phase, Viktoria Plzen boasts the best defense in the European competition, having conceded only two goals, and remains unbeaten with 10 points in this edition (two wins and four draws).

“The Portuguese will be favorites tomorrow [Thursday], but we are playing at home, we have experience and good players. I’m excited. It will be a tense match and we will do everything to make the result go our way,” assessed the Czech coach.

Faced with several changes and absences in the squad, especially in the defensive line, Martin Hysky refused to dramatize the situation.

“There are 10 outfield players and we have 18 available. It’s a matter of mindset and organization. There isn’t just one option; during the match we can react and change things. That’s the coach’s job. We will choose according to the type of players and we know the level that awaits us,” he said.

Alongside the coach was forward Matej Vydra, who assured that all members of the squad will be motivated for a challenge he expects to be demanding: “It doesn’t matter if we are 14 or 20 players.”

The experienced Czech international acknowledged FC Porto’s favoritism and downplayed the “past” when asked about the Dragons’ last season.

“They are stronger now and have conceded few goals in the league. In the Europa League they are also doing well, but I prefer to focus on what we can do. The weather could be an advantage for us, but it’s not the most important thing. For me, FC Porto are slight favorites,” he concluded.

The seventh round match of the Europa League group stage pits FC Porto, 8th with 13 points, against Viktoria Plzen, 14th with 10 points, on Czech soil. Kick-off is scheduled for 18:45 local time (17:45 in Lisbon) on Thursday, with Latvian referee Andris Treimanis officiating.

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