Benfica boss sets sights on Champions League glory: chasing greatness | OneFootball

Vítor Vinha showed a lot of confidence before the start of Benfica's journey in the UEFA Youth League, the Champions League for youth teams. The coach previewed the first match of the competition, which the Eagles will play against Qarabag, just like the main team of Clube da Luz.

"We approach it with great optimism, but at the same time, with a great sense of responsibility. We have already achieved glory in the past, and this is another opportunity to seek that same glory. Obviously, a long journey begins with a single step, and therefore, our focus is this game, to start well in the competition, to put our process on the field, to be highly competitive, and to secure the 3 points here at home," Vítor Vinha began by saying.

The Benfica coach then addressed the state of the team: "It is a team of great talent, of young talents, with great work capacity. We don't have much time to train here, much time to prepare the game, we have a large volume of games, but we often convey this idea that if our team A has this schedule, of playing every 3 days, this is an excellent preparation for us and for our future. There can be no fatigue, there can be no excuses, we have responsibilities in this competition."

"There is an added difficulty in preparing for the game regarding this opponent, in the sense that there is not much information. People might think it's an unknown opponent, with fewer credentials, less history... Obviously, yes, but it becomes more difficult. If they are present in the competition, they have their merit and value," he said, analyzing Qarabag.

Vítor Vinha concluded with the theme for the youth Champions League match: "The focus must be on us, on our process, on being active and pursuing our process, our ideas. Being concentrated throughout the whole game, keeping our heads in place and being stable. Sometimes, in the first game, we want to do many things quickly, we want to reach the opponent's goal quickly, and we might lose focus here and there. We often convey this message of emotional stability because this is a competition that requires it."

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