The Sporting coach said this Saturday that he believes he can beat Benfica, in the derby of matchday 16 of the I Liga, on Sunday, and assured that, like last year, he would bet on his team again.
At a press conference at the Alcochete Academy, Rúben Amorim acknowledged “the distance with the rivals and especially with the Champions League”, but stressed that, for the ‘lions’, a game with Benfica “is always hot” and who in his mind can beat his rivals, “either in Alvalade or in Luz”.
“That’s the thinking that players have to have. If we look point by point, where we lost those points, we could have won those games and we wouldn’t have that distance anymore. But that’s worth what it’s worth, it doesn’t make sense.” second thought. We are capable of beating Benfica and I think we can win any game”, he stated.
Last season, Sporting won 3-1 at the Estádio da Luz and Amorim takes advantage of this difference in the moments of the teams to “capture the players and everyone in the club”, recalling that “in two or three months the positions can be inverted”, despite the apparent best moment of the ‘incarnates’.
“I always bet on my team. I always bet that we are going to win games. Mainly [tendo] a talented team, which is not always consistent, but when they have a good day they can beat any team. It is precisely at this point that the players have to think”, stressed the coach.
For Amorim, in addition, this is “clearly the best team” from Benfica since it arrived at the ‘lions’, “because the speed in defense and attack has greatly increased”, the result of the work of Roger Schmidt who, he considered, “is a excellent coach.”
“He brought a lot of speed to the Benfica team and the coaches are all competitive, but I believe that our team can beat everyone and that I, as a coach, can be better than all of them. I would clearly bet on Sporting.” Rúben Amorim insisted.
In addition, and despite recognizing the distance with the rivals and access to the Champions League, Amorim wants the team to focus only on the next game and on improving “what needs to be improved.”
“If we are thinking about the future, what is going to happen at the end of the year, what happens if we don’t go to the Champions League, we are going to lose focus on the game. It goes to the game and we always have to win. Regardless of playing in Luz, we have to win this match, just as we had to beat Marítimo”, he warned.
Sporting visits Benfica on Sunday, in a match of the 16th round of the Portuguese Football League, scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m., at the Estádio da Luz, in Lisbon, with refereeing by Artur Soares Dias, from Porto Association.
The team led by Rúben Amorim arrives at the first derby of this season in fourth place in the standings, 12 points behind the rival, which leads the championship, six behind the second, Sporting de Braga, and five behind FC Porto, which occupies the third place.
Source: TSF
