"The tie is far from decided"

PREVIEW

With a "task to complete," the working group led by Bruno Lage is looking forward to Benfica-Nice, the second leg of the Champions League scheduled for 8:00 pm on Tuesday, August 12, at Estádio da Luz, with "great determination."

Benfica can once again count on the support of its fans in this second leg. How do you see this official home debut in the 2025/26 season, and how do you view tomorrow's game [Tuesday, August 12] and the situation regarding this tie with Nice?

It is always important and good to play at home. We have a very important game for us tomorrow. The support of the fans is essential. The tie is far from decided. We still have a task to complete and, as such, we have to go into it with enormous determination. Therefore, the support of the fans and our determination to win the game and move forward in the competition are essential.

You promised to talk about the transfer market at the end, but there have been reports that Kerem Aktürkoğlu may be on his way to Fenerbahçe. There have even been reports in Turkey that Bruno Lage has already given his approval for the player's departure. Are you counting on him not only for this game, but also for next season? Is he a player who is on the market for sale?

Regarding Aktur [Aktürkoğlu], what I can tell you is that I didn't count on him for the first game against Nice because he was injured. He has recovered, trained today [Monday, August 11], is comfortable, feels no pain, and has been called up for tomorrow's game.

Regarding tomorrow's game, I would like to ask you if you will use two forwards as you did in France and bet again on Ivanovic and Pavlidis up front.

Each game has its own strategy. In a short space of time, the understanding between the two has been very good, which makes us very happy. So, for us, the important thing, regardless of who plays, is that we feel that Ivanovic, Pavlidis, and Henrique Araújo have been doing a very good job over the last four weeks, and we are now entering our fifth week of work. So, regardless of who plays, we are determined to complete the task we started in Nice.

I would like to try to understand something about what happened in the Super Cup and ask a very specific question. The question is simple...

Of course, but I will be happy to answer those questions at the next press conference. Today, as I said, I don't want any distractions. We have a very important game tomorrow. Save that question, and I will be happy to answer more than one question at the next press conference if you have any questions on that subject. Right now, it's Nice, Nice, and Nice.

If, in your view, the composition of Benfica's squad will always depend on the team qualifying for the Champions League group stage, and if Benfica does not qualify, will you necessarily be forced to make adjustments?

You are talking about the market, we will talk about that at the end. The focus is on tomorrow, and I don't want... And I ask you... I will be happy to answer any questions you may have, I fully understand your work. I will be happy to answer questions on other matters at the next press conference. Before the Estrela da Amadora game. Right now, I don't want any distractions, I want the team to be very determined. Just as I am, so that tomorrow we can give a good response and offer our fans victory and a place in the next round of the Champions League.

You have already stated that you do not wish to discuss the transfer market. What role does Florentino play at Benfica? He is a player whom Bruno has known for a long time, who stood out when he came on in the last game against Nice. For the coach, what role does Florentino play, considering the arrival of Enzo [Barrenechea] and the other players you have in midfield?

Very important. For everything. I met Tino [Florentino] when we were in the B team. We moved up to the A team practically together. We won the title and several trophies together. And what I want for Tino, and I'll use Samuel [Dahl]'s words, is competitiveness among the players. It is very important that they feel there is competitiveness. That is what I want in the squad. And I want to be able to decide what is best for each moment, depending on the game and the strategy. And for that, it is essential that there is competitiveness in the squad.

We have already discussed Florentino's role, but what role does Aursnes play at Benfica? He is a player who currently occupies the position that belonged to Di María, but if one or two wingers arrive, or if Aktürkoğlu leaves, where will he fit in? Are you not concerned that Aursnes may be unable to perform at his best playing on the right?  And I ask you, now that we're on the subject, in your opinion, if Aktürkoğlu leaves Benfica, is there a need for Benfica to strengthen the squad with two wingers.

Look, one of Fredrik [Aursnses]'s roles and attributes, which we talked about today in training, is scouting. He knows all the players in Northern Europe, and sometimes we even ask him for his opinion. He's a fantastic player, he can play any role, regardless of the system, strategy, or positions, so we count on him. The transfer market, as I said, we'll talk about it at the end. Save all your questions about the transfer market, and I'll be here as long as necessary to answer all your questions.

You can certainly also ask Benfica fans a question, which is about Amoura... a player who, according to Record today, is one of Benfica's targets. Tell us a little about him, if you know him. I'm not saying if he is a... I didn't ask for confirmation. Play the role of analyst for a moment and explain a little. I also wanted to ask, at this stage of the season, and now talking about the Nice game, is it important to maintain routines, that is, to repeat the same starting eleven, or, considering that the tie is well on track, can we expect some changes to the starting lineup tomorrow.

I'm not going to make any exceptions about the market or the players; I don't want any distractions. The focus is on tomorrow's game. But your question touches on what we are experiencing, which is that we are doing a preseason with official games. We played our first game against Estoril, then Fenerbahçe, Sporting in the Super Cup, Nice, and tomorrow we will play our fifth game. Today we had our 20th training session, we are now entering our fifth week of work, and what I can guarantee you is that the players are extremely determined and eager to get to know each other as quickly as possible. So far, we have been fortunate and competent enough to overcome what I said was our biggest opponent, which was the lack of time, and I want to continue doing so. The players also have the desire to continue growing as a team, and that is what matters most.

I would like to close with Nice. Benfica starts with a 0-2 advantage, and Nice is an opponent with a good away record. Just recently, in April, they beat Paris Saint-Germain at home. I ask you if you will also take that into account, Nice's style of play, which is a squad that hasn't changed that much either. If that will also change in some way... if you expect a different Nice compared to the first leg...

Your question comes with enormous pressure. The same pressure that I know you put on [Nélson] Veríssimo today, in the title [of the match report] for the B team. I was reading your report and the title immediately put pressure on an almost young team. But it was good, it was good... [laughs] We take everything into consideration. We're talking about a Champions League preliminary round. On the other side is a great coach, excellent players... Any team at this level can win away, we won away. They have that ability, which is why I came here and didn't answer half of the questions you asked, because we have to be very determined and focused. There can be no distractions tomorrow if we are to accomplish our task, win the game, and move forward in the competition.