Benfica will receive Club Brugge on Tuesday in the second leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League (8 p.m., Eleven Sports), with a two-goal lead, achieved in Belgium (2-0). Reaching the quarter-finals is an immediate goal without ceasing to dream… of the final.
Despite having the advantage and knowing that the opponent is not going through a good phase, Benfica will not be wary: “If they want to qualify, they need more than two goals. Of course they have to play offensively to do that, but we have to see if they do it from the start. We never know what the opponent’s plan is and so we focus on ourselves. We believe in ourselves and tomorrow we will do our best for the 90 minutes. We want to show that we deserve access to the rooms,” said Roger Schmidt, aware that if the Belgians “have a good day, they can cause a lot of trouble”.
So the ideal was to play a game like the one played by the eagles in Belgium: “We have to believe in ourselves, in our attacking ability. We are prepared for an intense game and to show good football”.
90 minutes away from a place among the top eight teams in Europe, it is legitimate to think that the Champions League can be won: “I think all teams that are at this stage can win, but not with the same chance. Of course teams with less budget have fewer opportunities, for teams with more the chance is greater. But nothing is impossible in football. At the moment we are very focused on getting to the quarter-finals, which would be a great achievement for a club like Benfica.”
The good news is that you can count on all players. Gonçalo Guedes and Chiquinho recovered from their physical problems and could be an option. So do you keep Aursnes in the back midfield…? “I’ll think about it. It’s not decided yet. I’m glad everyone is available. With Chiquinho and Guedes, since there was a question mark about them… Today we learned that they are prepared and there are two more to Now I have to think about what the best option will be. Aursnes can play more forward or more backward, I think he can play practically in all positions. We need top substitutions and I think Neres and Guedes are a good example in the first leg, showed that substitutes can be indispensable, we need that again tomorrow,” replied the red coach, who can qualify for the Champions quarter for the first time.
Is this the right time to extend at Benfica? “I’ve said that a few times I am very happy to be part of Benfica. I am completely focused on my work. I have a contract, I have another year here. Of course we will talk about it at some point, but right now there are more important things to consider. We have a very good season, but my experience is that what happens at the end of the season is also important. We are at a decisive moment to deliver a special performance, and our focus is right there,” said Roger Schmidt.
Source: DN
