The coach has been the national hero of the Lisbon rivals and thwarted the chances of the Eagles and Lions in the decisive phase of the UEFA Futsal competition.
Know Benfica and Sporting on Wednesday Opponents in the “half” of the quarter-finals of the Futsal Champions League. The Eagles will face Spain’s Palma Futsal team, hosts of the decisive phase of the UEFA competition, which will be contested between May 5 and 7. You will face the Belgian Lions from Anderlecht.
The well-known line-up in this morning’s draw leaves open the possibility that Portugal will, for the first time, put two teams in the final of the competition. And Paulo Fernandez, who has coached Lisbon’s rivals and won four national championship titles – three with Sporting and one with Benfica – assumes that this scenario is indeed the most likely.
“I think we will have a Portuguese final in the Champions League. After the victories in the selection, which honored us brilliantly, this was the icing on the cake. Having two teams in the final will be the limit for Portuguese fans,” he says. registerThe 57-year-old coach currently works with Bastia Aglou, in the French second division.
Despite giving full favoritism to the Eagles and Lions, Paulo Fernandez warns of the dangers of the opponents, noting that “Sporting’s task will be more complicated”. “Considering the Portuguese, Spanish and Belgian realities, I’m not surprised to have a derby in the final. Now, we know it’s a game where everything is on the line and all four teams want to make history. Sporting and Benfica will be able to repeat the title [leões têm duas Champions, Benfica uma, quando era denominada UEFA Futsal Cup]. The others will be “strangers”. No one expected them to arrive here ready to make history,” he analyzes, detailing the strength of Anderlecht, who left Barcelona on the way: “It is a team that arrived here with great merit and has three players who have already played. in Portugal. Interestingly, the one in Sporting [Diogo] and two in Benfica [os guarda-redes Roncaglio e Cristiano]. “
Regarding the current moment for Benfica and Sporting, and in the face of the recent change in the technical leadership of the Eagles, now with Mario Silva at the helm, Paulo Fernandez says that the recent victory in the Portuguese Cup shows that the bet was correct. “Within two weeks he was working and immediately winning a national title, he has to be satisfied and he has to take credit for his work as a coach. Sometimes you look at people and wonder about the past, but all coaches, before winning, don’t. It’s great history. It’s Good for Mario and Benfica, and I hope I can take it to other levels,” he confirms.
As for Sporting, the coach believes that Nuno Dias’ side will respond after losing the last two trophies to their great rivals – they have already lost, this season, in the League Cup final: “Sporting is still the case for those” latest results. We know there are less good moments for big teams. But then they have the ability to react positively and that could really be in the passage to the Champions Final.”
A new “mission” in France
Paulo Fernandez has been training in the French second division since October last year, at the invitation of Bastia Aglou. The coach has been without a club since May after five years in Viseu 2001, after leading Beira to the Liga Placard and being in the Portuguese futsal elite for 4 seasons.
“I came to France with the season already progressing. The goal is not to go down and keep it and next season to bet on going up,” he said, striking a positive balance and confident in achieving the goal: “Things are going well. But if we keep it this way, we will manage to stay without great difficulties.”
Know Benfica and Sporting on Wednesday They oppose them…
Posted by André Antunes Pereira
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