"We always want to win, no matter where we play"

PREVIEW

In his preview of Benfica's second derby against Sporting this week, this time for matchday 28 of the Liga Betclic, Roger Schmidt revealed that his team will take to the pitch at the José Alvalade Stadium determined to put in a great display and take all three points. 

How do you foresee the second derby in the space of four days?

These big matches are always difficult to play. We had a great game on Tuesday for the [Portuguese] Cup and I expect the same tomorrow [Saturday, April 6]. But now it's for the Portuguese league and in their stadium, which makes things different in terms of atmosphere. Both teams have shown that they are in good shape at the decisive stage of the season. We know where we stand. We put in a great display on Tuesday, and we're in good shape physically, mentally as well as tactically. We did some very good things, but tomorrow [Saturday] is another game. Teams start from scratch, we're ready for the game. We know we have to put in a great display to get the three points, which is always our goal. When we go out on the pitch, we always want to win, and that will be the case on Saturday.

Given Benfica's need to win the game, because they're behind Sporting, who have one game in hand, are you going to change anything in your strategy? You said you liked the team's display in the Cup match. Might you be tempted to stick with the same eleven, given the team's response? Are you going to make any changes?

Of course we know the situation in La Liga. They're in first place at the moment and, as I said, we wanted to win on Tuesday, and we also want to win tomorrow [Saturday], but we always want to win, no matter where we play. For us, it would be good to win this game, to get closer. Even so, it's out of our hands, but we're still very close to them and it's an open race. I hope we can fight for the championship until the last matchday. This year it's very demanding, because they already have a lot of points. That's why it's a crucial game for this season, we have to focus on putting in a top display. It's no good thinking too much about the standings. Now it's time to focus completely. We recovered well after Tuesday. We played a very good game. We need to improve some tactical things, especially our efficiency. If you look at that match, we could have won and probably deserved to. But in the end, we didn't score enough goals. This is football, even if you're better, you might not get the three points or the win. You have to score more goals than your opponent to win the game. Creating lots of chances, as we did on Tuesday, is good. Now it's time to seize them.

Rúben Amorim said in the preview that a Sporting win would make life more difficult for their opponents in the fight for the title. Do you agree with that?

If they win, it will be harder for us to become champions. That's very clear. A draw doesn't make things any easier for us either, but if we win, the situation will be different.

Given the league standings, is this derby more decisive for Benfica than for Sporting? Could your team be feeling more pressure ahead of this game?

It's decisive for both of them, because it's the end of the season. They're in a better position, because they're in first place. They have more points, they have one more game to play, so it's very clear that their situation is a little better than ours. We always have pressure, and it's been present in every game this season, so it will be the same tomorrow [Saturday]. We know the situation, we need a win, but it's not just pressure, it's also a great opportunity. 

How do you foresee the second derby in the space of four days?

These big matches are always difficult to play. We had a great game on Tuesday for the [Portuguese] Cup and I expect the same tomorrow [Saturday, April 6]. But now it's for the Portuguese league and in their stadium, which makes things different in terms of atmosphere. Both teams have shown that they are in good shape at the decisive stage of the season. We know where we stand. We put in a great display on Tuesday, and we're in good shape physically, mentally as well as tactically. We did some very good things, but tomorrow [Saturday] is another game. Teams start from scratch, we're ready for the game. We know we have to put in a great display to get the three points, which is always our goal. When we go out on the pitch, we always want to win, and that will be the case on Saturday.

Given Benfica's need to win the game, because they're behind Sporting, who have one game in hand, are you going to change anything in your strategy? You said you liked the team's display in the Cup match. Might you be tempted to stick with the same eleven, given the team's response? Are you going to make any changes?

Of course we know the situation in La Liga. They're in first place at the moment and, as I said, we wanted to win on Tuesday, and we also want to win tomorrow [Saturday], but we always want to win, no matter where we play. For us, it would be good to win this game, to get closer. Even so, it's out of our hands, but we're still very close to them and it's an open race. I hope we can fight for the championship until the last matchday. This year it's very demanding, because they already have a lot of points. That's why it's a crucial game for this season, we have to focus on putting in a top display. It's no good thinking too much about the standings. Now it's time to focus completely. We recovered well after Tuesday. We played a very good game. We need to improve some tactical things, especially our efficiency. If you look at that match, we could have won and probably deserved to. But in the end, we didn't score enough goals. This is football, even if you're better, you might not get the three points or the win. You have to score more goals than your opponent to win the game. Creating lots of chances, as we did on Tuesday, is good. Now it's time to seize them.

Rúben Amorim said in the preview that a Sporting win would make life more difficult for their opponents in the fight for the title. Do you agree with that?

If they win, it will be harder for us to become champions. That's very clear. A draw doesn't make things any easier for us either, but if we win, the situation will be different.

Given the league standings, is this derby more decisive for Benfica than for Sporting? Could your team be feeling more pressure ahead of this game?

It's decisive for both of them, because it's the end of the season. They're in a better position, because they're in first place. They have more points, they have one more game to play, so it's very clear that their situation is a little better than ours. We always have pressure, and it's been present in every game this season, so it will be the same tomorrow [Saturday]. We know the situation, we need a win, but it's not just pressure, it's also a great opportunity. They haven't dropped many points this season, so you have to win the direct duels, because these are the games where you can win three points, and they get zero. We have to see it more as a chance than a pressure situation. We're completely focused on that.

Since your arrival at Benfica, you've played five games against Sporting. Each team has won once, three games have ended in draws, and Sporting have scored first in all of them. How important was it to open the scoring in this particular match?

It would have been great to score the first goal on Tuesday. The chances were there, and I think that analysis is 100 percent correct. It's always better to score the first goal, but it's also good if you can get back into the game. We almost always turned it around and, in fact, even in the game they won, we turned it around, even though the goal wasn't validated. That's good, because it shows that we're very strong mentally. But of course our aim is to not concede and to score first. That's always our approach when we start a game, and everyone saw that on Tuesday. Tomorrow [Saturday], we have to show that our first objective in this game is to play attacking football and score.

You've had complaints about the refereeing in the last two games against Sporting. Do you think Benfica will be closer to winning the derby if the referee plays a good game?

To be very honest, I hope no one talks about the referee after the game. That's always my goal, because the referee is there to ensure a fair game, and it's better that he remains discreet than in the spotlight. I hope he makes good decisions for both teams and that the best team wins. We weren't pleased with the referees' performances in the two Portuguese Cup matches, and I think everyone must have understood why, because if it was the other way around, and Sporting had a goal disallowed, a penalty not awarded and free kicks not awarded, they would also object as we did. Referees are professionals and are also subject to pressure. They have to deal with it and ensure a fair game. That's what I'm hoping for tomorrow [Saturday].