Farioli hails fitness: Ready to fight on three fronts in March | OneFootball

FC Porto will host Moreirense on Sunday at 8:30 pm, in the 26th round of Liga Portugal Betclic. The Dragons' coach, Francesco Farioli, was present at the usual pre-match press conference.

Francesco Farioli, FC Porto coach, statements:

Return to Estádio do Dragão: “It’s good to be back after three away games. The priority now is tomorrow’s match, against a team that has been one of the biggest surprises of the League. The fact that we’re comfortable cannot make us relax, on the contrary. We have to stay connected, we know the difficulties of this game, in the first round we had control, but it was hard to break through. I expect another competitive match against a team that is competing very well in the League.”

Squad management: “The focus has to be on our desire to do everything to win against an opponent that is doing a good job. On our side, the team is in an excellent moment, everyone is ready to play and in a competitive mode. Reaching mid-March with full batteries is difficult. That says a lot about the work the team has done, we try to manage the quality and energy of the group. We’ve earned the possibility to be in three competitions in March.”

Referee’s “unsatisfactory” grade in the match against Arouca: “I’m surprised, there are several images that are clear. The penalty was a penalty. I stand by my assessment. It won’t influence tomorrow’s refereeing.”

Victory would open a seven-point gap: “We’ll focus on our own matters. It’s a particular decision that there are teams that can change the games, Sporting has a tight schedule like us. Last week there was no room for such a decision. That’s another reflection. We’re focused on tomorrow’s match, we don’t have to waste energy on the psychological side. We’re in mid-March with the opportunity to be the leaders of our own destiny. In a season that was supposed to be a rebuilding one, being in control of our destiny is important.”

Secret to the physical level: “For us and for Sporting it’s a different case. The only week that will be free is the last one. Secret? We made different decisions based on what is under our control and we value the entire squad. In the last three games we changed from one match to the next, we’re playing Champions League-level games. We’re having very competitive matches and very competitive training sessions. I think all the players are prepared to play and help the team.”

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