Coach Roger Schmidt assumed on Thursday that Benfica has a more difficult calendar than FC Porto in the last rounds of the I League of football, but emphasized that the ‘incarnates’ have everything it takes to become champions.
When asked at a press conference in Seixal about the difficulty of the games missing from the first two standings of the championship, the German was direct in the answer, acknowledging the difficulty he will face to win the title.
“Clearly [que o calendário do Benfica é mais difícil do que o do FC Porto]! We play against Sporting and against Sporting de Braga, it’s a difficult schedule, but I wouldn’t change it because we have everything in our hands. It is clear that it is not easy to become champions and that our last games are difficult, but at the moment we are fully focused on Gil Vicente,” said the coach.
Despite recognizing that the rest of the season had a greater difficulty than the nearest pursuer – he is four points off – Schmidt downplayed the importance of playing before or after the ‘dragons’ in the final rounds of the competition.
“For me it’s important to be focused on our game. It doesn’t change anything if we play before or after,” he noted.
The ‘reds’ visit Gil Vicente on Saturday and face Otamendi, António Silva and Grimaldo at risk of missing next round’s match against Sporting de Braga if they see a yellow card, but Schmidt has not revealed if he will protect anyone. of the players.
“If we have to replace a suspended player, we will. I believe in all players. We have to accept, because it is part of football, that we have to replace players. We will see the decision for tomorrow.” [sábado] and then which players will be available for the [Sporting de] Braga”, devalued.
Finally, the coach declined to comment on the news of the closeness of an agreement between Benfica and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Japanese midfielder Kamada, but agreed to comment on Rafa’s performance in recent games, refusing the striker due to its low effectiveness in the match. i League.
“Rafa is a team player. He is having a great season, he has played fantastic games. He scored more in the Champions League than in the Portuguese league, but he is often involved in attacking situations and is fantastic in the space between the lines .” “No, I only judge him on his effectiveness. He is a great player and we are happy to have him here,” the German analyzes.
Benfica will visit Gil Vicente on Saturday, in a match for the 30th round of the First Football League, scheduled for 8.30pm, at Estádio Cidade de Barcelos, with Fábio Veríssimo (AF Leiria) as referee.
The team coached by Roger Schmidt tries to continue the victory of the previous round, against Estoril Praia (1-0), after two consecutive defeats in the I Liga, to at least maintain the lead of four points over FC Porto, that will receive Boavista on Sunday.
Source: DN
