Statements by FC Porto coach Sergio Conceição at the press conference for the match against Visela scheduled for this Friday (20:30) regarding the last round of the League Cup group stage.

Vizela has changed since replacing Alvaro Pacheco with Tulipa in the technical team, FC Porto coach Sergio Conceição noted this Thursday ahead of Minho’s acceptance for the League Cup.

“What did you see in the first 53 minutes of the last game with Mafra? [empate 1-1], before the expulsion of the athlete from Wisela, there was one or another situation in terms of dynamics, especially defensive, slightly different from what Alvaro Pacheco did. Now Tulipa has been leading the team for a very short time, hence the difficulties. The context of this game is different, and we cannot control it, ”the coach warned at a press conference.

After moving through FC Porto’s youth teams (2017–2020), on 2 December, Manuel Tulipa was officially appointed as the interim coach of Vizela, after managing the Minho under-23 team for six games, taking over the functions of Alvaro Pacheco.

“He has done a great job with a group of players who have followed him over the years, but that’s the life of a manager. For one reason or another, he always pays. coach than 20 or so players or club structure. This is how it is and will remain so, only in my case it is not because I have my godfather here … (laughs),” he grimaced.

Remember that in the publication of FC Porto, Dragões, Pinto da Costa recalled that José Mourinho often told Reinaldo Teles that Sergio Conceição was his godson.

Álvaro Pacheco has been linked with Wisela since the 2019/20 season and was responsible for two consecutive promotions from the Portuguese Championship, then the third national level to the Bwin League, a level that Minho’s team has no longer contested since their unprecedented presence. in 1984/85

“With or without cause, coaches end up paying the price many times over for the interests and unprofessionalism that exist in the clubs. It’s easier to fire a coach than it is to fire 20 or so athletes or a management structure. This will continue in the future,” said Sergio Conceisan.

Porto FC are leading the group with four points and are dependent on themselves to reach the quarter-finals of the youngest competition in national professional football that has never won in the last 15 editions, having been a finalist in 2009/10, 2012/13, 2018/ 19 and 2019/20.

“We know the Wisela athletes individually and what they did in Mafra, but we are going to focus on what we are as a team and we will concentrate on our work, which was very positive after the game with Desportivo de Chavez. [vitória por 2-0]🇧🇷 It will be another final and we are fully focused and focused on our goal,” he said.

The national champions immediately guarantee access to the next stage if they beat the vice-leader Wisela with the same two points as the “secondary” Mafra, who also visits the first division Desportivo de Chávez at the same time, fourth and last, with a point.

“When we are not competent for 90 minutes of play, it can happen to us that we get to the last game that needs a win to guarantee the quarters. In a competition in which the Dragons started with a draw at home against Mafrences (2-2).

A draw could also play into the hands of Porto, provided that if Mafra succeeds in Tras-os-Montes, he overrides the tie-break criteria, taking into account the possible entry of Gilles Vicente, winners of Group E, into the next stage on Wednesday.

“The team that starts the game has to give me guarantees in various situations and it will be the one that I think will best face Wisela. [sexta-feira]but they can only start 11 at the beginning,” he recalled.

Francisco Meixedo, Pepe, Nigerian Zaidou and Canadian Steven Eustaquio are in the clinical bulletin of FC Porto, who will look to avoid being “hit” in the main phase of the competition for the second season in a row before the return of the Bwin League, which was stopped due to the 2022 World Cup.

The formation led by Sergio Conceição hosts Wisela on Friday from 20:30 at the Dragão Stadium in Porto, in the third and last round of Group A of the League Cup, refereed by Vitor Ferreira of the association. from Braga.