The coach talks before the UEFA Champions League fixture

Sporting Clube de Portugal travel to Belgium for a game on Tuesday with Club Brugge KV, as the UEFA Champions League campaign continues. At the Jan Breydelstadion, the venue for the match, João Pereira spoke in a press conference upon arrival in Belgium.

The coach acknowledged that the midweek contest is another opportunity to reverse the form his side are experiencing after three consecutive setbacks.

“We are going to encounter a team that have not lost in ten games, and Sporting CP has not had very positive results here, in Belgium, in European competitions. We want to be the first Sporting CP side to win here and motivate ourselves for what's to come in the season. There's still a long way to go," he began by saying.

The coach confirmed that he will be without midfielders Daniel Bragança and Hidemasa Morita, who are both injured, and that Henrique Arreiol, João Simões, Alexandre Brito and Mauro Couto are all called up to fill the squad.

“The youngsters can play. There may be some adaptation involved, but the team will play the same way. The players recognise what their teammates do in their positions and everyone has to be prepared for any eventuality," he  highlighted.

“I know them perfectly, they work well and [João] Simões has been involved in the work done by the first team for some time, even before I was the coach. I have a lot of confidence in [Henrique] Arreiol, Mauro [Couto] and [Alexandre] Brito too, whether they come on later or play from the start."

On his approach, Pereira insisted that "We will be confident, as we were with Moreirense FC”. We may not have played our best football, but we were the better side, we had more opportunities and we could have come away with the victory. I saw a completely different team than against CD Santa Clara: more willing and looking for victory. With that eagerness, we even broke the game up more than we should have," he posited.

“The players will be confident and we will fight for the win, which would practically guarantee a place in the playoffs. We don't have to think much more about it. We will come in confident, focused, alert and ready to control the game for most of the time."

On the recent negative results, Pereira highlighted that he will “stand up and be counted, regardless of what happens. The position I have is the biggest vote of confidence possible."

“My life has never been easy and if I couldn't handle the pressure I wouldn't be here anymore. When I started playing they said I was skinny, small, and that I would never be successful in football -and luckily I had the career I had. As a coach, the first few years were difficult. We were close to the bottom places with the Under-23s, and after three years we had an excellent season and were one point away from becoming champions. That made me be considered the future of Sporting CP. A coach’s life is based on results and if they don’t appear, it’s normal for there to be criticism and doubts."

"Everyone is pulling in the same direction. I can't have any doubts about what I think and what I want the team to do. I am confident the future will be much better than things have been so far," he concluded.