"We're expecting a tough game, but we're doing well"

PREVIEW

Roger Schmidt's men are aiming to extend their run of seven consecutive wins. In his preview of the Benfica-Boavista match of matchday 18 of the Liga Betclic, the coach reinforced the team's "confidence" for the clash with the axadrezados, which he expects to be "tough". The match is scheduled for 8:15 pm this Friday, January 19, at the Estádio da Luz. 

What can you say about Boavista? What kind of opponents do you expect to face at Estádio da Luz?

Our first league game was against Boavista, and we lost, unfortunately. It was the only time we lost, but we lost. That says it all. Boavista had a fantastic start to the season, then had a few problems in the middle, but in the last few games they've done well. Against FC Porto and in the last game [at Vizela]... Playing against Boavista is always difficult, because they're a very physical team, they play a lot of duels, they're very compact and good at counter-attacking. In his preview of the Benfica-Boavista match of matchday 18 of the Liga Betclic, It's something we always have to take into account and deal with. We're expecting a tough game, but we're doing well, we're very confident, we know that in these games we have to work hard, and we've shown many times that we can do it.

Last season, you said you were surprised by Aursnes' quality. Now you're surprised by his performances at right-back? With Bah about to return from injury, does this mean you're not expecting a new player for this position in this transfer window?

I'm no longer surprised by Fredrik [Aursnes]. Being able to be so flexible in different positions, as he showed at Benfica, was a bit surprising at first, but it's also part of his personality. He's a player who's always open to playing in this position too, he's very clever at gathering information and putting it into practice on the pitch, and he's a very complete player. With the ball, without the ball, now he's also dangerous in front of goal. He's very good in the final third, we saw that last season when he played more in attacking midfield. Then he played a few games at left-back and now at right-back, with Ángel [Di María] on the flank. They've found each other very well, they're very well-connected. Now, he often comes into situations where he can show that he has a very good final ball, very good crosses, low crosses, through balls, and he can also go for the finish. He's a very good player, he's always developing, the more he plays in certain positions, the better he gets at them. Being able to play in different positions is something special. At first, we saw that he was more of a center midfielder, then he played as a wing midfielder, in attacking midfield, and now he's shown quality at full-back. For me, it's great to have a player like him in the squad, because during the game we always have to use different options to influence the game positively. If we have injuries, like Alex Bah now, we can also adjust a bit. That's why he's a top player, he's not focused on one position. I have to see what's best for the team, he's doing very well as a right-back. Alex Bah is coming back, hopefully in a couple of weeks, and then we'll have a new situation and new options. Alex [Bah] was also fantastic in his first season at Benfica. Of course, he needs some time to regain his best form, and then I'll have to make decisions. At the moment, I'm not sure what my decisions will be. We're not under pressure to sign a new right-back.

Álvaro Carreras, Benfica's new signing, has been compared to Grimaldo a lot. How do you view the player? Do you think it's a fair comparison?

First of all, he's taller than Grimaldo [smiles], and he's just starting out in his career. I think it's very difficult to compare him with a player who is in the best moment of his career, like Grimaldo was at Benfica. A player who had a lot of experience at Benfica. Álvaro [Carreras] is a very young player, but also very talented, so it's difficult to make a comparison. They're both Spanish and excellent with the ball at their feet. If he can develop like Grimaldo, it will be great for him. Above all, he'll need time to settle in, get to know his teammates and get a feel for the style of play. But, of course, we believe he can have a good impact on the team in the coming months.

Are you counting on Musa? Can he leave?