CD Nacional, a Portuguese top-flight football club, is preparing with intense caution for its upcoming Taça de Portugal match against lower-division side Rebordelo, emphasizing respect for the underdog and the leveling effect of artificial turf.
Coach Tiago Margarido stated that Rebordelo, a regional team, will approach the cup tie as “the game of its life,” expecting maximum motivation from the opponent. He warned that playing on artificial turf “always levels the quality of teams,” anticipating a difficult challenge in Vinhais.
To counter this, Nacional recently conducted a dedicated training session on artificial turf at the Cristiano Ronaldo Campus. Margarido explained this adaptation was crucial due to the distinct ball speed and bounce on synthetic surfaces, highlighting his team’s respect for the opponent and the competition.
Margarido demonstrated detailed knowledge of Rebordelo’s tactics. He outlined their usual 4x2x3x1 formation with Luca as the striker and Mora supporting, as well as a potential “plan B” involving three central defenders like Cícero, Franque, and Artur. He praised Rebordelo’s coach, Gilberto Vicente, for his meritorious career and well-prepared team.
Rebordelo currently sits third in the Divisão de Honra of the Bragança Football Association, a regional honors division. The club enters the match with strong momentum from two consecutive wins in recent fixtures. This will be Nacional’s 55th participation in the Taça de Portugal.
Nacional has faced early exits in previous cup campaigns under Margarido. They lost to Santa Clara in the Round of 16 in the 2023/2024 season on penalties. The season prior, they were eliminated in the third round by U. Leiria with a 2-1 defeat.
Despite the challenges, Margarido confirmed that Nacional would field a “very strong” lineup, albeit with some changes. He expects Rebordelo to also field its strongest possible team, having potentially rested players in their last game.
Witi, the Mozambican international winger, is slated to start. This is despite missing recent team training due to fatigue from World Cup 2026 qualifiers. Margarido, however, declined to announce his starting goalkeeper, citing a desire not to give advantages to the opponent regarding Kevyn Vinícius or Kaique.
On the injury front, Ulisses Wilson remains sidelined with an unknown injury. Goalkeeper Lucas França undertook specific lower body training. Miguel Baeza and Ivanildo Fernandes are with the club’s medical department.
Nacional is scheduled to travel to Trás-os-Montes tomorrow, flying to Porto in the morning. Their final training session is set for 4 PM UTC on the grass pitch of SC Mirandela, a team competing in the Campeonato de Portugal, Portugal’s third-tier league.