Farioli: “Benfica had nearly a week to get ready for the Clássico” | OneFootball

Francesco Farioli comments on FC Porto’s preparation period for the Clássico against Benfica and rejects the idea that this could serve as an excuse for Sunday’s match at Estádio do Dragão.

Preparation for the Clássico

“Benfica played on Tuesday, so they had almost a week to prepare for the game. We only started preparing after the match against Arouca. It’s a different scenario, but this is football, there are many games and having less time to prepare is not an excuse. In Saturday’s training session, the whole group trained and we are ready for tomorrow’s match.”

“If we look at the recent past, the game against Chelsea is a good example of these different strategies. One of the main characteristics of Mourinho’s teams is being very chameleonic, in the management of games with the ball, but especially without it. The ability to manage the pace of the game, zonal marking when recovering possession. There are many dynamics and scenarios. We prepared for the game with attention, trying to find solutions for those scenarios. We also have to be open to something unexpected, of course. We did our job. It’s an important game, there’s no denying that fact.”

Busy match schedule

“The schedule didn’t help. Playing three games in six days is not something we want, but it’s the reality. The group managed it very well, we got good results, everyone played. Everyone helped, which allows me to choose the best eleven from the 22 or 23 players that make up the squad.”

“There are several possibilities. Alberto is ready, Pablo has fully recovered from the 90 minutes he played in the Europa League. We’ll see tomorrow.”

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