Four days after the draw (2-2) in Luz for the National Championship, Benfica and Sporting meet again for the Champions League, Thursday (8:30 pm), now at the lions’ enclosure, the Pavilhão João Rocha.
The Reds lead Group B of the competition, with three wins in the same number of games, and two more points than the Green and Whites, who only conceded a draw, the previous round, against Liceo (2-2), in A Coruña.
After breaking the Eagles’ winning streak for the championship, the Sporting team wants to break their rival’s unbeaten record in all competitions this season. This intention is assumed by Leonine forward Danilo Rampulla.
Benfica and Sporting meet again four days after the derby for the Championship (FPP)
«Expectations are high and we want to win. We left the last game with a bitter taste, because we were always ahead on the scoreboard. Benfica is a very complete team too, we know their weapons, but we have our own and we are very confident of giving our fans the victory”, said the 26-year-old Argentine quoted by the Sporting media.
“There is still a long way to go [na fase de grupos da Champions]but it’s a game that can give something further, so we’re very focused. In these games, whoever makes the fewest mistakes is the one who ends up winning. We have our strategy, which we trust and playing at home is always an advantage”, added Rampulla.
Edu Castro: «It will be a different game»
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Edu Castro, Benfica roller hockey coach (photo SLB)
On Benfica’s side, coach Edu Castro begins by distinguishing the two games, despite being separated by such a short space of time. «Even though they are the same two teams, they are always different games. Not only because we were playing away from home, but also because we were aware of what happened in the match a few days before. The competition is also different, the format. The most important thing in the current Champions League is to secure points at home, and Sporting certainly knows that well. I think it’s possible that it will be a more open game, that’s what we think. But then, the details of who takes the lead, of how the break is reached, are more significant than the initial planning”, said the Catalan coach to the Red club’s media.
Castro highlights the long rivalry that is inherent to the Lisbon derby as a factor to value: «The mental part is fundamental. Central, is the word. In the world of sport it is the basis of everything, because games take place after training sessions, after other games, and if it is basic, in the games against Sporting, in the city derby, it is even more so. It is extremely important to have all players focused on the objective, on the details of each play, each phase, whether in recovery or in possession of the ball. The important thing is to always have the players, not only physically but mentally, very focused. And I think we are all being very competitive also because of this factor, and we have to be able to achieve it once again», he said.
