"It's a difficult game, but we're going for the 3 points"

PREVIEW

Returning to the Liga Betclic after their victory over Ajax (0-2) in the Champions League, Benfica will face Nacional on matchday 12 of the competition, scheduled for this Saturday, November 29 (6:00 pm).

In an exclusive interview with BTV, ahead of the match that will take place at the Estádio da Madeira, José Mourinho admitted that the island team will pose difficulties for the Eagles, who are heading to Funchal with the aim of securing three points.

However, for the Benfica coach, the recent victory over Ajax could provide “a different kind of comfort” for the upcoming clash. 

Before the preview... Portugal was crowned U-17 World Champion yesterday [Thursday. I would like to start there and ask you how you viewed this achievement, which saw a significant contribution from nine Benfica players.

There are many people who deserve congratulations, and obviously Benfica and its youth academy deserve congratulations. But, to all the kids, a very special hug to Bino, João Santos, the entire federation structure, and obviously we cannot forget the clubs that train them, that work with these kids every day. Many people deserve congratulations, including the kids' families, and the Portuguese are happy and proud to be world champions, even if it is in the Under-17 category. It is a source of great pride for everyone.

Regarding this Nacional-Benfica match, I would like to ask you how Benfica's team is doing. They are coming off two wins, the Portuguese Cup and the Champions League. How are they approaching this trip to Choupana, at a time when they cannot count on Richard Ríos, who has been a starter for Benfica?

Yes, he has always been a starter, but when Lukebakio got injured, and it was obviously a bit of a dramatic moment, I chose to say, “Lukebakio isn't playing, someone else is playing,” and I think that's a good way for us to face any setbacks we may have, whether it's injuries or suspensions. In this case, Ríos isn't available, so someone else will play, and I think this is the right philosophy: don't dwell on the negative, look at things optimistically, say that someone else will play, and whoever plays should play as well as Ríos has been doing.

Do you think Nacional is optimistic, even though the Madeira team hasn't won in four games? The numbers show that they are doing better in the Championship than last season, when they were in 17th place at this point, but in any case, what is your assessment of the team they are going to face?

My initial impression is that when teams play against Benfica, they find extra motivation and give themselves to the game differently than they normally do. That alone makes it more difficult. Then, Nacional is a team that has had the same coach for a long time—if I'm not mistaken, this is the third season, I think, that [Tiago] Margarido has been in charge of the team—they are very routine in their dynamics, defensively they know how to differentiate when they play with four, when they play with five, in possession they know how to differentiate between different types of build-up play. They are a very aggressive team, they play with a lot of aggression, so obviously it will be a difficult game, but we are going there with the aim of getting the three points. Being different competitions and different opponents, our victory at Ajax was important because it gives us, I wouldn't say peace of mind, because at Benfica peace of mind is the wrong word, but it gives us perhaps a different kind of comfort for the players to be able to face this difficult opponent.