The statements of Sergio Conceicao, coach of the Porto club, at a press conference to review the match against Vizela, which is scheduled to take place on Friday (8:30 pm), referring to the last round of the League Cup group stage.

Vesela has differed since Alvaro Pacheco was replaced by Tuliba in the technical leadership, and this Thursday, Porto club coach Sergio Conceicao indicated on the eve of Minho’s reception of the League Cup.

What did you see in the first 53 minutes of the last match with Mafra? [empate 1-1], before the expulsion of an athlete from Vizela, this or that position in terms of dynamics, especially defensive, was a little different from what Alvaro Pacheco did. Now Tuliba has been at the helm for a very short time, hence the difficulty. The context of this match is different and we can’t control that,” the coach warned, at a press conference.

With his passage through the youth teams of Porto (2017-2020), Manuel Tuliba officially became the interim coach of the Vizela team on December 2, after leading the Minho U-23 team in six matches, taking over the duties of Alvaro Pacheco.

“He’s done an excellent job with a group of players who have followed him over the years, but that’s life as a coach. For one reason or another, he’s always the guy who pushes. More than 20 players or a club structure. That’s the way it is and it will remain that way, just in my case. It’s not Because my godfather is here … (laughs) ”, Curly.

Remember that in FC Porto’s post, Dragões, Pinto da Costa indicated that Jose Mourinho told Reinaldo Telles that Sergio Conceicao was his godson.

Álvaro Pacheco has been associated with Vizela since 2019/20 and has been responsible for the two successive promotions from the Portuguese Championship, then the third national level, to the Bwin League, a level that Minho’s side can no longer argue with since their unprecedented existence. In 1984/85.

“With or without reason, coaches end up paying many times for the interests and lack of professionalism that exists in the clubs. It is easier to fire a coach than with 20 or so athletes or a management structure. It will continue to be like this,” Sergio Conceicao remarked.

Porto club leads the group with four points, and relies on itself to reach the quarter-finals of the smallest competition in national professional football, which has never won in the past 15 editions, having reached the final in 2009/10, 2012/13 and 2018/19 and 2019/20.

“We know the Vizela players individually and what they did in Mafra, but we will focus on who we are as a team and focus on our work, which was very positive after the match with Desportivo de Chaves. [vitória por 2-0]🇧🇷 It will be another final and we are fully focused on our goal.”

The national champions are immediately guaranteed access to the next stage if they beat vice-captain Vizela, with the same two points as the “minor” Mafra, who is visiting at the same time Primera Division Desportivo de Chaves, fourth and last, with a point.

“When we are not qualified in the 90 minutes of the match, what can happen to us is that we reach the last match in need of a win to guarantee the“ quarters ”, in a competition in which the“ Dragons ”started with a draw at home against the Mafrenses (2-2).

The draw could also serve FC Porto, provided that if Mafra succeeds in Trás-Os-Montes, it intersects in the tie criteria, with a view to a possible reception on Wednesday of Gil Vicente, winner of Group E, in the next stage.

“The team that starts the match has to give me guarantees in different situations and that will be the one I think is best against Vizela. Nobody is out or has a guaranteed title. Tomorrow [sexta-feira]But they can only start 11 at the start.”

Francisco Mixedo, Pepe, Nigerian Zaidou and Canadian Stephen Ostacio are in the clinical bulletin of the Porto club, which will try to avoid “falling” into the main stage of the competition for the second season in a row before the return of the Spanish league, which was suspended due to the 2022 World Cup.

The formation led by Sergio Conceicao receives Vizela on Friday, from 20:30, at the Dragao Stadium, in Porto, in the match of the third and final round of Group A of the League Cup, with arbitration by Vitor Ferreira, from the federation. Braga.