"Looking to the future with confidence"

PREVIEW

In the preview of the Benfica-Boavista match, on matchday 23 of the Liga Betclic scheduled for 6 pm on Saturday, February 22, at Estádio da Luz, Bruno Lage emphasized the importance of playing at home, in front of the fans, and assumed that the eagles will have to be prepared for the clash with a rival that recently changed coach.

First, I'd ask you to take a look at tomorrow's game [Saturday, February 22]. What can we expect, what do Boavista expect to receive at the Estádio da Luz? in the Champions League, it's inevitable to ask you to comment on the outcome of this draw and Benfica's rematch with Barcelona.

Yes, we have another rematch in the last 16 of the Champions League. It was a great game, the one we experienced, and a great night, the one we experienced with Barcelona. Unfortunately, it ended with an unfavorable result. But the team was able to give a good response in the next game against Juventus. That's what we're going to try to do. We have two games with Barcelona, we want to give a good response, because we have to have ambition to keep going in the competition. Regarding Boavista, what can you expect from a new coach with a lot of experience in the first division and ten new players? They have a game, that's the game we're looking at, and we have to be prepared for, regardless of the system, a team in the image of their coach [Lito Vidigal], a cohesive team, a team with a very strong defensive organization, with very strong offensive transitions, trying to exploit changes of corridor, with quick attacks into the area, and we have to be prepared for that. But more importantly... it's just as important for us to play at home, in front of our fans, and depending on the consequences of the games we're playing, to be determined tomorrow that it's very important to win, to get the three points and to keep all the players healthy for the next games.

In the last press conference [after the Benfica-Monaco match] you talked about luck. Given the tight schedule Benfica will have, because they're still in all competitions, and the fact that they have a lot of injured players, will Benfica need a bit of luck in the remainder of the season?

No, actually, I'm not the one who talked about luck. I talked about luck, based on the Monaco coach's comment. We have to be able to manage our squad for what's coming. I'm going to use the expression that one of my assistants used this morning in the meeting we had about the assessment and physical condition of the players. I asked him how the squad was doing, and he said: “These guys are clearly on the verge of overload”. The players are clearly tired. However, I have enormous confidence in the squad. We feel that the players are understanding our ideas better every day. But more important than that is the spirit of togetherness they have, the way they play, united, like a family. Sometimes, to use a stronger expression, like a real army. And to look as happy as Kökcü did in the last game [Benfica-Monaco], with that smile. That's what we have to give. Because the fact that we're playing is the price of success. Appreciate what we've been doing and look to the future with confidence. Even if we don't have some players who are important to us, we have to be able to find solutions within our squad.

I'm going to ask you about the midfield for the Boavista game: are you going to do anything about it? Since Barreiro can't play in midfield, Aursnes has some physical problems and Kökcü is also out with a knock. Could Nuno Félix be an option? Will you also do this management with Boavista? And with regard to Florentino, there have been some reports that he may renew his contract with Benfica, is this confirmed and would it be an excellent renewal for you?

Look, about Florentino, I received the information, it was from Ricardo [Lemos], that there was both the news of the renewal and the player's interest and desire to leave for another club. I think Florentino, because of what he's done throughout his career, even because he's already had two experiences abroad, because he's an example, he's an example of hard work, he's an example of determination, I think he'd also be a good example for young people, if he had a career like the players did 20 or 30 years ago at the Club. I'd like to see him, because I keep that moment to myself, I was the one who had the chance to launch him, and I'd like to see Florentino have a long career at Benfica. As for Nuno [Félix], I also had the opportunity and the good fortune to play him for a few minutes, but we have very high expectations of several midfield players. We have Nuno Félix, we have [Diogo] Prioste, who was also with us, we have [João] Veloso, we have Rafael [Luís], we have the other Félix [Hugo] who plays in a more advanced position. Anyway, any player whose name is Félix, I immediately keep an eye on him [smiles]. We have a number of young midfielders in particular who are really interesting, and it's just a matter of them getting the chance. 

Benfica have a good chance to overtake Sporting in the standings. They have two points less and if they win they'll overtake the national champions. I'd like to ask you if, in your opinion, Benfica are the team with the most weapons to become national champions at the moment.

I'm going to keep the same speech I had two months ago. It's going to be a race to the finish, depending on the results of the games and also on the last two matches. That's why the most important thing for us is to be prepared, and tomorrow [February 22], because of the sequence of games, more important than the display is actually winning the three points. 

A few weeks ago, at a press conference, he guaranteed that the team would finish in 1st place, which could happen as early as tomorrow [Saturday], Benfica could move into 1st place if they beat Boavista. Can you say, with the same confidence you had a few weeks ago, that Benfica will finish top of the league and be champions?

What I can say is what I've been saying since day one. We're going to work hard to win. It's the weight of being in this position, at a club as big as Benfica. We have to have that ambition. Earlier we were talking about luck or bad luck... It's what we have to do that's important. What we've already done is behind us. As a coaching staff, we have three titles, which are well and truly wrapped up. That's in the past, and we want to look far ahead and realize that we still have the league, where we depend on ourselves; the Portuguese Cup, which is the next match, and we still have the Champions League tie. But this, as you've just rightly said, is tomorrow's game [Saturday]. Don't get sidetracked, don't lose focus of the game tomorrow [Saturday], because it's very important, and we have to win the three points.