"We feel the importance of starting the Championship well"

PREVIEW

On the eve of Benfica's debut in the 2025/26 Liga Betclic – the Eagles face Estrela da Amadora on matchday 2 of the competition this Saturday, August 16, at 8:30 pm, at the Estádio José Gomes – Bruno Lage emphasized "the importance of starting the Championship well."

This being the opening game of the Championship, and at a traditionally difficult ground like Reboleira, what aspects do you consider important for Benfica to make a winning start to the competition? What role can Benfica fans play in this short trip to Amadora?

Before answering your question, two notes. The first is about the fires that are happening in our country: a hug of solidarity for those who are going through this tragedy and also a hug of courage for the true heroes, who are our firefighters. The second point is about something we have already discussed here: the freedom we have to communicate with each other and tell you that I increasingly appreciate and understand your work, because it is also through it that we reach our fans. As such, I also hope you understand mine, which is to stay focused—stay focused on what is happening at every moment, keep the players and the technical team focused, and also mobilize our fans for the next game. I did some quick calculations: if we play an average of 60 games in 10/10 and a half months, we have 180 moments of communication, whether in pre- and post-game conferences, or even in flash interviews. So I think we have more than enough time to talk about various topics. So, I affirm—and I affirm again—that I understand your work, I respect that you have complete freedom to ask the questions you need to ask, but it is also up to me, at every moment, to respond to the topics that I think are important for the team's goals. So, here I am today, completely available to talk about Estrela da Amadora; I will have time to talk about Fenerbahçe; and the only José I will talk about is José Faria [coach of Estrela da Amadora]. I'll have plenty of time to talk about the best in the world once we're in Istanbul. I also know there are questions to be answered, and I'll be happy to answer them today—and I can say that it makes much more sense to answer them today than during a game where the focus is on the Champions League, and it's a very important moment for us to be focused on the team's greater interests. That being the case, we feel the importance of starting the Championship well. We started the season well, but what we need to take into the next game is exactly what we did in the last one: determination, starting well, playing well, and the consistency that the team has been showing. We are still in the early stages, having played only three official matches. We started off on the right foot, both in the Super Cup [victory over Sporting] and in reaching the Champions League play-offs [elimination of Nice, with two wins], and we want to continue this momentum in the Championship. And we want to rally the fans for the next game, with strong support in the Amadora game, which will be very important, because we always feel at home when we play away, thanks to the support of our fans.

I know you don't want to talk about the market and prefer to focus on those who are here, but there are conflicting reports about Aktürkoğlu. I ask you how the player is doing. Are you counting on him for the next game [Estrela da Amadora]?

Aktur [Aktürkoğlu] is a very important player for the team. I think – and now off the top of my head... these are the figures – he's worth around 25 to 27 goals, in goals and assists. He's a very important player for the team, he started the season very well, he's happy at Benfica, he chose a new number, he had a very good start to the season. It is public knowledge that he has received an offer, but my feeling is that the player is completely focused on the team at the moment. I repeat what I said at the last press conference [preview of Benfica-Nice]: I am counting on him for tomorrow's game [Saturday, August 16].

A moment ago, in your introduction, you said that it is a good time to talk about a few things, namely at the end of the previous game, you said that, at this point, according to the ideal plan for the team, it would be to start the season. What I'm asking you is whether this game against Estrela da Amadora will be a good opportunity to give the whole team the playing time you say you haven't been able to give them as you would like, bearing in mind that the next game could be worth millions.

Yes, but right now it's full steam ahead with the game against Estrela da Amadora. The team has been playing well, we've had several moments in the game where, regardless of who's playing, the team has responded well, and we feel a very positive energy. We want to continue this work. In time, we will give everyone minutes and opportunities to play, to get playing time. We can create that in training, as we are doing today, trying to prepare for Saturday's game, to give everyone a start to the season that we think is ideal.

Regardless of what the market dictates, including Aktürkoğlu's possible stay, are all the conditions in place for Schjelderup to finally have the season he spoke of at the end of the last game [Benfica-Nice]? Does he seem like a more mature player since you took over as Benfica's coach? What role will he play at Benfica?

Andreas [Schjelderup] was here recently and mentioned exactly that. He is a very mature young man, he knows his strengths, he knows where he needs to improve, and he has to deliver every time. He had some very good moments last year, he played some very good games and some very demanding games, he played many Champions League games and delivered. He had a slow start to the season, as he said, but he ended up getting some really good opportunities to play. The team's performance is like them. They have to perform well in every game, evaluate, and the strategic side is also very important. He's a kid with great qualities. Offensively, I actually believe that a more possession-based, calmer game could benefit him more, because he dominates the space between the lines very well, with his targeted receiving and one-on-one finishing situations... In that space where he usually scores his goals, he performs very well, and he knows that, but there is another side to the game where he needs to grow and continue to evolve. We are very pleased with him, and it is up to him to contribute with good performances for the team at all times.