"If we play at our best, we can win anywhere"

PREVIEW

Recognizing the importance of the match against Real Sociedad, Roger Schmidt eels that this is the moment to show the Eagles' quality in the Champions League.

Real Sociedad favor possession, they have quality and speed. What is Benfica's strategy to stop this opponent?

That's a good description of the opponent. In football, the strategy is always the same. We have to respect the opponent and be ready for their tactical approach, but we also have to think about what we can do. That's what we always do. Real Sociedad are a great team who have come a long way in recent years. They play a fluid game, they have all the right players and they can repeat their eleven. They're a great opponent, and they've shown that both in the Champions League and in La Liga, but we always believe in ourselves, and we're confident that, playing at our best, we can win games anywhere. That's our goal, and we don't have to talk about the situation in the group, because it's out of our hands. We have to focus on this game and start picking up wins, otherwise international football is over for us, and we want to stay in the competition. We lost the previous three games, but we've worked hard to be in this competition, and we have to show that tomorrow [Wednesday].

What improvements have you seen with the recent system change? What does the team still need?

We haven't been at our best in the Champions League matches so far. We had problems in the first game [Salzburg], with the penalties and the red card, and then we had injuries in the second game [Inter Milan]. We don't want to use that as an excuse, but the start wasn't perfect, and the situation is as it is. But in the last three games, we've reacted well. We won the last two and, in the home game [Casa Pia], we had, in my opinion, a different attitude. We've adjusted our approach a bit, and the new system is an option for tomorrow [Wednesday]. Every game is an opportunity to take a step forward, and that's what we have to do. What we need to improve is our attacking play. Over the last year and a half, we've always created a lot of chances, and that's what we're missing at the moment. With more confidence, and when we're more used to each other, we can improve. That's very important because without scoring goals we can't win games.

In the preview, João Mário admitted that this is a special week. Do you think it will be all or nothing for Benfica?

It's an important week because we're playing in the Champions League after three defeats. This is the fourth game in the group, so it's crucial that we go out and win the match. On Sunday, we have an important clash because we can go top on matchday 11. But we still have several decisive weeks left in the season. That's why football is about the moment and it makes more sense to think about the present, seeing the next game as the most important.

Benfica has invested a lot. Have you spoken to the President about the team's moment in the Champions League?

We always want to be in the knockout phase... We always talk. We know where we stand. We've signed good players, but we've also lost key players. Sometimes building a new team happens quickly, like last season. On other occasions, it takes longer, particularly when some players are unavailable and others need time to adapt to the team. That's our situation at the moment. Regardless, we have a very good team, we believe in ourselves in all competitions, and it's time to show it in the Champions League, because it's crucial to win tomorrow [Wednesday].