FC Porto host Nice in a special clash for Farioli and Pablo Rosario | OneFootball

Right after the match against Sintrense, FC Porto shifted its focus exclusively to the Europa League, in a game that will hold special significance for Francesco Farioli, who will face Nice, the club he successfully managed in the 2023/24 season, returning them to European competitions. The Italian coach's knowledge of much of the squad could prove to be an advantage for Thursday's game, where the Dragons are looking to get back to winning ways in the competition, after a defeat in Nottingham and a draw in Utrecht.

“We need to improve in the Europa League, the goal difference is negative. We have to do better. Of course, we face more physical opponents and we know it will be a challenging game. We have to be prepared,” said Farioli after the victory in the Portuguese Cup. On the other side, as we mentioned, will be a team with few or no secrets for the Italian, which is going through a very difficult time. Not only in the season – four consecutive defeats – but especially in European competitions, where they are on a negative streak of 16 consecutive games without a win, with only three draws, none in the current edition. “We are going to play against a really good team, with many individual talents, in all positions. We have to be ready because it is very important for our Europa League campaign to achieve a good result,” he stated.

Farioli took charge of Nice in June 2023 and left the club in May 2024, a period that culminated in a 5th place finish in the French championship (just outside the Champions League), a result based mainly on strong defensive organization. “We gave him a goal: to return the club to Europe, and that was achieved. He is a great professional and a person of great values.” This is how Jean-Pierre Rivère, then president of Nice, bid farewell to Farioli, who moved to Ajax, where he again reinforced defensive solidity. The title in the Netherlands ultimately slipped away, but, as in France, Farioli left good memories. On Thursday, the match will therefore have a special character, but the goal remains: to win and take a decisive step towards qualification.

Pablo Rosario was one of the pillars

Pablo Rosario is among the four players who have represented both clubs. The midfielder, a signing directly requested by Farioli, worked with the coach at Nice and was the fifth most used player under his command. The Dominican international played 149 matches for the southern French team before transferring to the Dragons – almost triple the number of games Ricardo Pereira played at Nice, where he spent two seasons on loan from FC Porto. The connection is completed with Malang Sarr, a center-back trained at the French club who spent time at the Dragons on loan from Chelsea, and with the Brazilian Carlos Eduardo.

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