Jorge Jesus: "The return of the fans to the stadiums is what we all want"

PREVIEW

Jorge Jesus previewed the Benfica-Boavista, from round 23 of the Liga NOS, scheduled for Saturday, at 6 pm at Estádio da Luz.

Benfica host Boavista tomorrow [Saturday], a historical game in Portuguese footbal. How do you foresee this match?

Boavista is a club with a huge history in Portuguese football, as we all know. In these last few games, it has been moving up the table… We also know they made an excellent game at the Estádio do Dragão, in which they drew 2-2. We will find a defensively well-organized team, which has a coach with experience and history in Portuguese football. It will be a tough game for Benfica, I have no doubt.

How do you see the possibility of the public returning to the stadiums later this season?

It is one of the best news. It's what all of us who are connected to football want, particularly Benfica because they are our 12th player. The absence of fans has brought great harm to the big teams, like Benfica, which has the biggest fan base in Portugal. We would all be very happy if the return of the fans.

In the reverse fixture you lost (3-0) against Boavista. Does that game still serve as a basis for something in your preparation or does the managerial change at Boavista make the team different?

Both things. The system itself is not the same. Right now, Boavista plays with a different system in these games... They have a different coach, with different ideas, with a completely different game idea than when we played at Bessa. Nothing is the same, there are no possible comparisons between the reversed fixture of and tomorrow's game [Saturday] within what is the strategy, the game system, the methodologies of the coach's ideas... everything is completely different.