Bruno Lage on what Benfica expect from Alverca: “An interesting side...” | OneFootball

Having overcome the Champions League play-off, Benfica is now preparing for the clash against Alverca, in an important match counting for the 4th round of Liga Portugal Betclic. Present in the press room, Bruno Lage previewed the match and spoke about what he expects to see from the Ribatejo team.

Asked about the importance of the match against the team that recently moved up to the first division, the Setúbal native began by highlighting the squad’s recovery: "The team is recovering well, what’s more important is mentally and being aware of the importance of these games. The importance of winning this type of game, of playing this type of away match after the Champions League."

Regarding the next opponent, Bruno Lage stressed that the team intends to continue with another victory and hinted at the defensive system Custódio’s team will present: "We want the 3 points for our greater goal. Alverca is an interesting team, we’re expecting a back five, with a very strong attack in depth."

Still on Alverca, the 49-year-old from Setúbal revealed that he is surprised by the opponent and shared that he has studied the Ribatejo team closely: "I was actually curious to see the movements of their striker, he’s very strong, the chances he created are situations we have to control."

Finally, Bruno Lage made a point of ‘challenging’ his own team, so that they approach the clash with Alverca as a game of utmost importance: "The challenge is for the team to present itself with a champion’s attitude because we have to win this game."

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.