FC Porto will focus again on the UEFA Champions League, with matchday 2 of Group D bringing a home match against Galatasaray, scheduled for this Wednesday (20h00, Eleven Sports), at Estádio do Dragão. At the preview of the match against the Turkish champion, Sérgio Conceição praised the importance of winning the three points, an objective that is already dedicated from the start. In the opening round, FC Porto tied in Gelsenkirchen, against Schalke (1-1), whereas Galatasaray beat Lokomotiv Moscow at home (3-0).

Three important points
“It is important to win our match as we will be facing the leader of the group. The group is balanced, but we have the responsibility to represent FC Porto and to give a good response. Giving a good response is winning the three points, which is what matters.”

Danilo
“Danilo is one of the 20 players called, and, like I’ve said before, he is a very important player for us, for the spirit he shows on the pitch and for all that he represents to the his teammates and to the team. I was happy to see him return, but we have to keep in mind that he was absent for five months, and that requires some caution.”

Playing at home or away
“Nowadays, you don’t fully feel that home or away factor, but it is still important. A full Estádio do Dragão and the strength of our fans is extra motivation for us. Like the great master José Maria Pedroto used to say, the fan are the number 1 player, not the 12th. I have the upmost respect for our fans and the Blue Sea will be vital tomorrow. I hope that we can count on their support, like always. Anyway, given the knowledge teams carry nowadays, playing at home or away is not key.”

Galatasaray
“These teams are full of players with interesting maturity and some experience. Statistics say something different, but it’s not the fact that they’re playing away that Galatasaray will be intimidated. We know their team well, and we have all the elements we need to thoroughly analyse their strengths and weaknesses. In terms of our defensive consistency, we hope their strengths will be less seen and that we expose their weaknesses.”

The absence of references Aboubakar and Soares
“Aboubakar is a reference on the attack, as is Soares. They can’t play, someone else will go in. We can’t cry over something we can’t control. I am counting on other players that are available and everyone is truly important. One aspect or another may change, even for the players’ features.”

Very positive emotional context
“The emotional context is very positive. We played a match against Tondela that was close to what I want for the team. We only scored 85 minutes in, but that’s part of the game. It’s only natural that there are things to improve, as it would have been a massive victory, given the many opportunities we missed. As for the Golden Dragons Gala, it was a wonderful party, that dignifies the great institution we represent. After that, we came together to support the unfortunate moment Aboubakar is going through, and that unites the group. Pretty much everyone went to visit him, including myself and the remaining coaching staff. I even had to wake him up, as he was sleeping, and was scared to see me. We want to dedicate this victory to Aboubakar.”