After the emotions of the Round of 16 of the Champions League, FC Porto will again focus on the championship, with matchday 22 bringing Vitória de Setúbal to Estádio do Dragão, this Saturday (20h30, SportTV). Sérgio Conceição believes the national champions will end the streak of three matches without winning and return to victories for the next match, despite facing a “powerful team, physically strong and with good players”. FC Porto is in the lead of the championship, with 51 points, one more than Benfica and two more than Sporting de Braga. Setúbal is 12th, with 22.

The analysis of the public opinion
“The analysis of the public opinion refers to results. The best performance we had was against Vitória de Guimarães, but the tie and the two points we lost was all that was discussed. What I want to see tomorrow, after the end of the match, is that FC Porto won. That’s what matters the most.”

Vitória de Setúbal
“The team hasn’t scored many goals since switching coaches, but they haven’t concede many either. They changed their usual tactic and they have been playing in 4-4-2; besides, they are a physically strong team, with good players. The match will be more or less hard depending on what FC Porto does. We will have to work hard to win the match.”

Three consecutive matches without winning
“I am fully convinced that the streak of bad results is over, but there are always three possible results in football. I believe that we will play a good match tomorrow, but, most of all, that we will win.”

The injuries, especially in the attack
“We have been a little afflicted by injuries. Brahimi is out of tomorrow’s match. Like I said at the preview of the match against Roma, I’m paid to find solutions and I will never makes excuses with absences. Aboubakar, Marega and Brahimi are the players that took part of nearly 60% of our goals last season, but there are others. The players are prepared and that’s the strength of our squad. Everyone is prepared to play. I wish I had everyone available, but I won’t cry over it, I have full confidence in the group. Even with the injuries, we still had a long streak of matches without losing. We need to be smart and creative in the way we prepare the team, even with the absences. These absences can’t interfere with our preparation and in the confidence of the other players. The ones that are available are the most important right now.”

Advantage in the championship reducing
“We never played feeling comfortable for the distance to the second or third. It happened in this stage, when we were weak for 45 minutes, in the second-half against Moreirense. There are times when the ball hits the post and goes to the opponent, whereas we hit the bar and the ball goes out. With the players we have available, we will try to send in the best starting team to win the match. I was uncomfortable when I was coaching Olhanense and there were salaries four or five months late. Huge pressure is coming to work every day and try to do my best for the players. We are in the lead and we depend only of us, people should remember that. We will look at the numbers in May.”

Playing before or after the rivals
“We have to win our match, before or after the rivals. Last season, we pretty much always played after our rivals and we still became champions.”

The defence
“When Pepe joined us, I heard a lot of commentators say we had one of the strongest defences in Europe, but not anymore. When Pepe arrived, Maxi was injured in Alvalade. You can’t assume you can just grab a player that was a central defender for four or five months and just make him play as fullback. Everything was worked and everything being done has the objective of using the strongest team. If Éder Militão plays on the right, that’s because I feel FC Porto is stronger like that.”

The talk to Felipe after the match in Rome
“I don’t understand the issue, to be honest. It was an intense match, for the Round of 16 of the Champions League. I rather see him angry after a defeat than smiling, giving hugs, arranging dinner parties. He was angry about one or two game situations and I went there to calm him down, that’s all. People will see it as they want, but that’s exactly what happened.”