Artur Jorge said this Friday that Sporting de Braga has to “know how to deal” with the pressure of fighting for second place and highlighted the importance of beating Estoril Praia on Saturday for the Primeira Liga.
In the run-up to matchday 27, the coach was asked if the team will withstand the pressure of fighting for second place, assuming that the players have to “know how to deal with it and the obligation to be prepared.”
“The ability to sustain ambition is done with pressure and demand, also with the demand itself. I am sure and confident in this sense because the working group has been able to respond to this, ”he said at a press conference.
For Artur Jorge, this will be “another of the finals” until the end of the championship: “We want to win it, we know it will be a difficult game against a very good team, we know its real potential.”
The coach highlighted some of the team’s numbers, considering that this demonstrates his perseverance, also noting that he is seeking access to the Portuguese Cup final, a competition in which he will face Nacional, from the II League, in the semifinals.
Sporting de Braga has already equaled in the first nine games of the second round the 19 points won at the start of the championship -in the same number of games-, a record that, if maintained until the end, will give the best score in history. for the Minho team in the championship (75 obtained in 2017/18).
Braga has three victories and a draw in the last four games, while the estorilistas, with the home victory over Gil Vicente (1-0), the first for new coach Ricardo Soares, broke a very negative streak of six defeats consecutive.
“That victory took weight away from Estoril and, with more time working, it is normal for the team to get closer to Ricardo’s game idea. [Soares], the dynamic you want to create. We have been studying Estoril, I don’t expect an easy match, like everyone else, until the end of the championship, which will be very demanding”, he said.
Ricardo Horta renewed until 2028 this week and the coach was satisfied with the continuity of the captain.
“In addition to what he brings us in football and his numbers, he is one of the great men we have in the squad, he has a fundamental role as captain to transmit testimony to the youngest, the mystique of the locker room and the values of Sporting de Braga. It is with players like him that we can continue this work,” he said.
For Saturday’s game, full-back Sequeira is the only one unavailable due to injury.
Sporting de Braga, third ranked, with 59 points, and Estoril Praia, 15th, with 25, will face each other on Saturday, starting at 8:30 p.m., at the Estádio Municipal de Braga, a match that will be refereed by Vítor Ferreira, from the association of panty.
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Source: TSF
