"It's up to us, once again, to be at our best"

PREVIEW: BTV HIGHLIGHTS

Assuring a team “motivated to put in a great performance” and focused on the goals, Bruno Lage launched Benfica's match against Estoril, on matchday 15 of the Liga Betclic, scheduled for 6:45 pm on Monday, December 23, at Estádio da Luz.

What kind of game do you expect against Estoril in what will be Benfica's farewell to the Estádio da Luz this yea?

I'm expecting a very competitive game, because we've had the chance to see Estoril, and we can feel that they're a competitive team. We expect them to play a system of five defenders, but aggressive, looking to attack, looking for transitions, always with the aim of provoking their opponents. And it's up to us, once again, to be at our best, we believe in that, fundamentally in what we're doing, and today also because of the training we did. And we're sticking to our goal, which is to win the game, because it's three very important points. The team is motivated to put in a great display, the team is motivated to give the fans this Christmas present, with a good win, a good display and goals.

It's obviously an important preparation, because the game with Estoril is Benfica's chance to put the pressure on and get back to the top. Have you thought about your management, or have you also thought about the game against Sporting, which you'll have a short time later? Is Arthur Cabral an option for tomorrow's game against Estoril?

The pressure is always there, and we don't have to win to put pressure on others. We have to win because our goal is to win, because our goal is to finish first. That's our goal, so what we want most of all is to put in another good display in front of our fans and feel that our fans are satisfied with what the team is producing at every moment. Arthur [Cabral], only tomorrow [Monday]. We'll see if he's fit enough to join the team for the game.

This season, you've already promised entertaining, attractive football that draws the crowds. When will that football be? Already this season, you've defended Otamendi when he's been heavily criticized, but you've also said that there are no guaranteed places. I wonder if Otamendi, with this trip, with these logistics, has lost his starting place to António Silva?

I think the team has played very good games. Most, 80%, of the team's games in the last three months have been of enormous quality, creating lots of chances, scoring goals. I think the team has a record and an average of three goals. So I think that's the most important sign we have to have. Now, as I said, there are moments in the game when we haven't controlled it the way I'd like, but it's three months of work. So, when I look at the three months of work and the victories and performances we've recorded, I think we're satisfied, but always with a sense of wanting more. Regarding Otamendi, this is such natural management, I understand the questions, I understand the curiosity about the subject, but it's nothing that hasn't been done in the last three months here, because there have already been several players - curiously it hasn't been public knowledge - who have had specific and personal situations to resolve and have already extended their days off from two days to three days to resolve these issues, who in the morning of training are still traveling, and the technical team is here in the afternoon to train with them; this situation is public. So there are no status quos here, there are conditions that we have to consider. That's why this Nico [Otamendi] issue was public, we resolved it in the best way possible, just as there have been, and I can assure you in the last three months that I've been here, three or four very similar situations, and they happened in the same way. So I don't have to reward those who stay here to work, I just have to understand and treat everyone equally when the same situation arises tomorrow. 

This game comes before the derby, there's the situation at the turn of the year and FC Porto are currently top of the league. Every game is worth 3 points, but given the moment, could this be the key moment in Benfica's season? Is there more preparation for this game with Estoril, before the derby, and after the others Benfica have coming up at the start of the year?

I think the championship is going to be very tight until the end. The three teams are very close to each other at the moment and the next few games will be worth three points, and then they'll be repeated at the end of the second round. That's why I think it's going to be a very tight championship that will be decided at the end. What's important is that we're prepared and that we respond to every moment. That's why the moment is tomorrow [Monday] and then we have time to think about the next game. But there's no point in winning tomorrow if we don't win the next one. That's why we work hard, and it's my ambition that the team always plays attractive football, like we did against FC Porto, who are currently top of the league, and we already felt FC Porto's quality then. Just like we played Atlético de Madrid, who, curiously enough, are also top of the Spanish league at the moment. And that's what we want. It's about creating lots of chances, having our players close to goal to create chances. And that's our ambition, to work hard and make the team grow at all times so that we can be more and more consistent. 

Benfica have renewed the contracts of some of their players. Does that give you more peace of mind for the rest of the league, since they could leave in January, or not?

I'm reassured, and we're all reassured. Not because we're afraid that a player will leave in January, because if that happens, the club is prepared to respond, but because we feel that the President and the Board are preparing Benfica's present and future. Benfica have just renewed Fredrik [Aursnes] and curiously in the last four months no offer has ever come in for Fredrik. They came for everyone else and never came for Fredrik. So we're lucky in that sense too, that no offers have come in for Fredrik.