The Portuguese under-21 team is indifferent to the importance of the debut against the host Georgia in Group A of the European category, in which the Netherlands and Belgium also participate, soccer player Vasco Sousa assumed this Thursday.
“I think this group will work the same in every game, whether or not Georgia is the first opponent. No team is a favorite in a Eurocup and anything can happen. Points”, stressed the 20-year-old FC Porto B midfielder. at a press conference.
In the morning session, held at the Cidade do Futebol, in Oeiras, the coach Rui Jorge summoned 22 of the 23 players without limitations, while the midfielder Fábio Vieira, from Arsenal, continued working in the gym for the second consecutive day .
On the field was Bernardo Vital, central defender of Estoril Praia, who had been one of the two players overlooked on Wednesday regarding the initial list of 25 pre-designated, but was reinstated a few hours later in the training camp, due to to the injury of the winger Tomás Tavares.
“We are candidates, like the other teams. We are working like any of them to go in search of the three points game after game. There is always enormous ambition in a Euro Cup and the group is very confident and united in search of a beautiful story. What we can promise is to give our best in all aspects”, said Vasco Sousa, who debuted with the FC main team Porto in 2022/23.
The day before, the preparation of the under-21 team had had the help of the AA national coach, the Spanish Roberto Martínez, and the internationals João Cancelo and Bruno Fernandes, who even competed at that level and participated in previous editions of the Eurocup.
Rúben Dias, another of the options available to the leading team on the corners, took advantage of the press conference prior to Portugal’s reception of Bosnia-Herzegovina, qualifying for Euro 2024, to send a motivational message to hopes.
“It is very special. They are players who inspire us and we are proud that they have been part of our formation or have been with us. It is quite gratifying to see Rúben Dias sending us a message of support, because it is about the step we want to take to get to his side ”, acknowledged Vasco Sousa.
The national delegation will travel to Tbilisi starting at 2:15 p.m. this Thursday, via the Humberto Delgado airport, in Lisbon, with an expected arrival for 11:00 p.m. local time (8:00 p.m. in Lisbon).
The 24th edition of the European Under-21 Championship will be held in three cities in Georgia and two in Romania, from Wednesday to July 8, with Portugal still looking for its first success in this category, after defeats in the championships of 1994, 2015 and 2021. finals
The corner team will face the three challenges of Group A in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, always at 8:00 p.m. local time (5:00 p.m. in Lisbon), against the hosts, who make their debut (Wednesday), against the Netherlands, champion in 2006 and 2007 (June 24), and Belgium (June 27).
Portugal needs to finish in one of the first two positions of the ‘poule’ to access the next phase of the European Under-21, which brings together 16 finalists for the second consecutive time and whose decision is scheduled for July 8. at the Adjarabet Arena, in Batumi, Georgia.
At stake will also be three places to the 2024 Paris Olympics, which exclude France, automatically selected as host, and England, ineligible.
Source: TSF
