"Boavista has had a very consistent season, given the circumstances they have been in, which are always difficult to respond to as they have done. [...] I am an admirer - both of Ricardo [Paiva] and Petit - for the work they have done," the coach said, in a press conference previewing the match.

The Arouca coach highlighted the opponent's "mystique" and the fact that many visiting fans are expected at the Arouca Municipal Stadium as factors to be aware of.

"Boavista is a historic club, all have their history, but they carry a certain mystique. In terms of play, they are a team that has players with a lot of quality and who are now organized in a slightly different way, with a line of five. They can create some problems with the individualities they have, especially in the attacking moves," he warned.

Daniel Sousa, who concluded, on the last matchday, a return to the service of the Arouca team in the championship - the Serra da Freita team was last classified in November -, assumes that there has been a "redefinition of objectives", with sixth place as the goal and the dream of a possible European qualification.

"Reaching sixth place is one of the objectives, the other would be to remain in this upper zone of the table. We are very close to Moreirense, but also to the teams that are below us. As for Europe, there is a combination of difficult factors, but it is possible. Benfica winning the Europa League is more than possible and sixth place could give it," he said.

At a time when Arouca already presents its best offensive record ever in the main division (48 goals), the coach did not hide his satisfaction, since his motto is "to think about the game from the goal".

"The satisfaction comes from the numbers, from the position in the table, from the team's ability to create goal situations. It is not just about scoring them, that is, it is not just about the individual highlight, which is more than deserved for those who like to have it, but also about the collective work to achieve them," he congratulated.

Regarding the alleged interest of other clubs in several Arouca players, Daniel Sousa acknowledged that this is a "natural consequence" of the good campaign of the 'wolves', but he does not believe that it can cause distractions or changes in performance.

Nino Galovic, recovering from injury, is the only unavailable player on the 'wolves' side for the match.

Arouca, seventh classified in the I Football League, with 40 points, and Boavista, 11th, with 29, will face each other from 6 pm on Sunday, at the home of the Arouca team, under the refereeing of Carlos Macedo, from the Braga association.