"With the Benfica jersey, our duty is to play top football and give everything to win"

PREVIEW

Roger Schmidt previewed Benfica's match against Lusitânia, scheduled for 4:30 pm (3:30 pm in the Azores) on Friday, October 20, at the Estádio João Paulo II, in the 3rd round of the Portuguese Cup.

Benfica has a new competition coming up, where it will face a team that will give everything on the pitch. What do you expect from the match against Lusitânia?

The first game after the international break is always a bit special, but when you're playing a cup match on a Friday afternoon in the Azores, it's even more special. It's very clear that we have to be well-prepared for this match because we also have a lot of ambition in this competition. Our goal is to win this competition. It's a cup game and sometimes, in the first knockout round, you play against teams from lower divisions. It's always a challenge because these teams have nothing to lose. For these teams, it's a great motivation. But we also have great motivation.

You've trained all week without several players who have been on national team duty. Can we expect a very different starting XI to usual?

We have to distinguish the cases a little. Some players arrived at the beginning of the week, others, like Nico [Otamendi], David [Neres] and Trubin, arrived today [Thursday, October 19]. We have to distinguish between them and find the right balance, so as not to overload them and use other players. I think we have a very good team to do that, to change, everything is balanced. Fortunately, the weather is a bit better in the Azores than it is in Lisbon at the moment. We're prepared for a tough cup game.

How do you motivate the players for a game like this?

Motivating players to play soccer is always a special issue because they love playing footballand good football. Of course, in cup games, when you play against teams from lower divisions, you expect the players to be able to underestimate their opponents. Maybe that's why there are sometimes surprises in these games. What I expect of my players is that they always respect their opponents and that they always give their all on the pitch. When we wear the Benfica jersey, our duty is to play top football and give everything to win the game. That's something I always expect, especially in these kinds of games.

After the competitive break for national team matches, would you prefer to start again with a cup match or a league match?

In these situations I always accept what is defined, that's what it is. That's the calendar. As I said, playing on Friday afternoon is special, but we also wanted to play earlier so that we could travel back on Friday and be ready for Tuesday [the Champions League match against Real Sociedad]. It's a challenge, but I'm not complaining. I like the cup games, I really want to go to the final with my players, so you have to accept this schedule and these games. It would be easier to play a team from a lower division in Lisbon, but this is part of the Cup. You have to show a good mentality from the start to achieve something special in this competition.

Rafa has been a key player for Benfica and is in the final year of his contract. Are you worried about losing the player?

Firstly, I'm very happy that he stayed this season. It was a clear decision by Benfica, and now it's up to the player and the people at the club to talk about it. I know Rafa. He has clear ideas and, if he wants to do something different at the end of his career, he'll make that decision. At the moment, I'm completely focused on this season and on supporting him as best I can so that he has a top season. In the end, he'll make his decision. Here at Benfica, everyone would like him to stay, perhaps until the end of his career, but we also have to respect that a player of his age and with his history at the club is thinking about the future.I spoke to Rafa at the start of pre-season and he's always been very honest with me, but also with himself. Let's see what happens.