Top Portuguese handball clubs FC Porto and Benfica face immediate challenges as their league resumes following an international break, with coaches and players emphasizing the difficulty of refocusing on domestic competition.
The 10th matchday of the national championship begins Friday, marking the return of league play after a pause for international fixtures.
FC Porto, one of the league leaders, will travel to Madeira to play Marítimo. The match is scheduled for 7:00 PM local time (UTC+0).
Daymaro Salina, an FC Porto player, acknowledged the difficulty of the upcoming fixture. He described the Marítimo game as “always one of the difficult games.”
Salina added that Marítimo “is a team with good players and they use a lot of seven against six, but we are ready to overcome this challenge.”
Benfica, the other league leader, will visit ABC in Braga for a match starting at 9:00 PM local time (UTC+0).
Benfica coach Jota González highlighted the difficulties clubs face when resuming matches after a break. “It’s always complicated to play again after a break,” González said, “because the players have to refocus on these games.”
Sporting, another major club, is scheduled to play on Saturday. They will travel to Guimarães and have one game less played than the current leaders.
Other matches scheduled for the 10th matchday include Águas Santas vs Belenenses, Avanca vs FC Gaia, and Arsenal vs Póvoa AC, all taking place on Saturday.