The coach Artur Jorge considered this Saturday that the reception to FC Porto, on Sunday, in matchday 25 of the I Liga, is not decisive for SC Braga in the fight for second place.
Braga, third in the ranking, is two points behind the ‘dragons’, something that the coach does not forget, but Artur Jorge believes that this match “is not decisive, because, even if I win”, there are many games to go.
“We could have moved to second place in the Guimarães game [com o Vitória, derrota por 2-1] and we couldn’t. It is not imperative to consider this match as decisive even if we win, because then we will have nine finals ahead of us,” he said at the previous press conference.
The coach said he expected “a strong FC Porto”, considering the team from Porto as the “most combative in the league”.
“He will show up with that determination. We have to match, at least, that combativeness to be able to win, which is our objective, ”he said.
Artur Jorge stressed that “balance will always be the key to success”
“We have always had courage and the team has never failed me in terms of combativeness. I hope above all that he has the ability to understand the moments of the game to correspond to what he asks for, ”he said.
The coach recalled that SC Braga “is very close to second”, but also to fourth, against Sporting: “We have to be balanced in our ambitions based on what our real objectives are, which are very well defined and we are within them “.
FC Porto played the Champions League this Tuesday, after being eliminated by Inter Milan, but Artur Jorge understands that this will not leave marks on the ‘dragons’.
“I expect the best FC Porto, a team with experience, with a large and high-quality squad. This Champions League game will have nothing to do with Sunday’s game. We already had that experience”. [ser eliminados das competições europeias] and we knew how to react and be competent in the next match”, he said.
The coach also revealed that he had rejected a proposal from a club in the United Arab Emirates.
“They invited me, but I know the work and the time it took me to get here. I understand that this is the project that I committed to, and also committed to the players, and that I want to see it through to the end. I want to stay here and I rejected what was proposed to me a very short time ago, ”he said.
Artur Jorge also addressed the first call-up for the new national coach, Roberto Martínez, who left out the captain of Braga, Ricardo Horta.
“We all have to respect the coach’s work, we know that Ricardo is part of a high-quality team, I was sad for him, but we understand the options because there is a lot of quality. All that remains for us, coaches and structure, is to support him so that he can return to the national team soon,” he said.
Niakaté and Paulo Oliveira have recovered from their injuries and are called up for Sunday.
SC Braga, third ranked, with 55 points, and FC Porto, second, with 57, will face each other starting at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, at the Estádio Municipal de Braga, a match that will be refereed by João Pinheiro, from the association panty. .
Source: TSF
