Arouca coach Vasco Seabra dismissed external factors like Benfica’s recent Champions League defeat and upcoming elections, asserting his team’s focus on its own growth and ambition ahead of their Primeira Liga clash.
Seabra stated that Benfica’s internal elections are “their problem,” emphasizing that his team concentrates solely on controllable aspects of the game. He acknowledged Benfica as a formidable opponent, a team “rich in good values” with an experienced coach.
Despite this respect, Seabra expressed Arouca’s eagerness to “compete to the maximum” and “challenge ourselves to be at our limit” against the Lisbon giants. He aims for his team to identify and exploit any vulnerabilities while reinforcing their own strengths.
Arouca expects a challenging duel at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon. Seabra dismissed the notion that a potentially tense atmosphere could disturb Benfica’s high-caliber players, noting his team also prepares to face “65,000 opponents” in the stands.
Arouca’s coach remains confident in his squad’s ability, drawing lessons from past heavy defeats, including a 6-0 loss to Sporting and a 4-0 defeat to FC Porto. He highlighted that these “frustrations often lead to greater lessons and learning” than moments of euphoria.
The team has been growing “week after week,” with Seabra expressing satisfaction with a recent positive performance against Portimonense in the Cup. This has created “good headaches” for him regarding squad selection, indicating strong internal competition among players.
This healthy competition extends to the goalkeeper position. Nico Mantl delivered an “excellent performance” in Portimão, while João Valido has also shown “very good performances.” Seabra noted that goals conceded have been a collective issue, not individual.
He also included 19-year-old Jankub, who is “getting to a sweet spot” to contend for a starting spot, further underscoring the depth and competitiveness within the Arouca squad.
For the upcoming match, Seabra confirmed Mateo Flores and MatÃas Rocha are unavailable due to injury. He concluded that Arouca approaches the game with “enthusiasm, focus, and much ambition.”