Sporting’s futsal coach Nuno Dias is actively downplaying the prospect of a high-stakes UEFA Futsal Champions League quarterfinal derby against rival Benfica, urging his team to concentrate solely on their upcoming fixture against AEK.
The coach emphasized that his team must approach AEK as a formidable opponent, noting the Greek side recently eliminated the Italian champion from the competition. He stated this makes AEK a challenging draw despite being less known.
“First we have to face this opponent without taking it easy, without thinking that it is an unknown team,” Dias said in a club statement. “We are going to look at AEK as a team that eliminated the Italian champion. If it were the Italian champion instead of them, we would think this was a difficult draw, but the truth is that we are going to play against those who eliminated them. So, we have to analyze them well.”
Sporting will travel to Athens for the first leg on November 23. The second leg is scheduled for December 5 at Pavilhão João Rocha.
The draw for the UEFA Futsal Champions League final phase indicated that Sporting and Benfica could face each other in the quarterfinals if both Portuguese clubs progress. This scenario has generated significant anticipation among fans and media.
Dias also anticipated a difficult atmosphere for the away match. “It will certainly be intense in Athens,” he remarked. “I believe the atmosphere will be tough, with fervent fans, as is usual in all sports. They reached this round on merit. The first game will be away and that forces us to be very focused so as not to be surprised.”