João Brandão: “The team are ready for anything” | OneFootball

On the 20th matchday of the Segunda Liga, FC Porto B visits SC Farense in the Algarve (Saturday, 6:00 PM, Sport TV+). The coach emphasizes that it is “a Primeira Liga team that strengthened significantly at the beginning of the year, but especially now in the January market” and shows “some diversity in structure both defensively and offensively.” João Brandão assures, nevertheless, that “the team is on the rise” and “prepared for any scenario” in a “stadium with a very unique tradition” and that the team will enter the field “in a state of maximum alert”: “We have a big challenge ahead and we must be very focused on what we will encounter.”

Yoan Pereira, making his season debut with the team that “always works at maximum,” highlights that on the other side is “a competent opponent that plays a very direct game,” promising, however, “maximum seriousness”: “You can expect the FC Porto that everyone knows, that plays with passion, ambition, and the desire to bring the three points home.”

João BrandãoSC Farense“It is a Primeira Liga team, a team that strengthened significantly at the beginning of the year, but especially now in the January market. It is a team that has had, since Pedro Neto took over, some diversity in structure, so it is a big challenge to prepare for this game because there are different scenarios and different structures both defensively and offensively. We have a big challenge ahead and we must be very focused on what we will encounter.”

Continuous Growth“Our team is on the rise. We are strong, we are growing. We feel this strength on the field, both individually and collectively. The numbers don’t lie, whether through game results, but fundamentally through what leads us to achieve those outcomes. We have increased our success rate in duels, ball recoveries in the opponent's midfield, we have more clean sheets, and we create many more opportunities. The number of touches inside the area well represents the offensive growth the team has had. Effectiveness is fundamental, obviously, to translate that into goals and that is what we want for the next game. We want to be a very aggressive team defensively, very compact in the defensive block, whether in a higher positioning, but also in moments when we have to be lower to protect our goal, and there we must be very competent collectively.”

Maximum Alert“The team is prepared for any challenge and any scenario. This readiness is part of the FC Porto player's DNA. Obviously, it is a stadium with a very unique tradition because of what FC Porto's games at São Luís were like and this one will be no exception. SC Farense is in a situation they probably didn’t foresee at the beginning of the season, they are clearly a candidate for promotion and I believe they still are at this moment, due to the quality of their squad. Therefore, we must go in with maximum alert.”

Yoan PereiraWorking under victories“Yes, it is always easier, but we are FC Porto and we always work at maximum.”

The Opponent“SC Farense is a competent opponent, they play a very direct game and we will approach the game with maximum seriousness.”

The first season with the B team“I feel it is very good for my future. I have faced this challenge with ambition and given everything on the field. I always go all out to help the team.”

Defined Goal“Yes, I started the pre-season with the B team and I liked it a lot, but my goal is to reach FC Porto's A team.”

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