Four days after being eliminated from the Europa League by Olympique Marseille, Benfica will once again focus on the I League this Monday, with a trip to Farense's home ground, in pursuit of Sporting, despite the (very) small margin to cancel out the ten-point disadvantage to the leader in the final stretch of the competition. In the preview conference, Roger Schmidt did not hesitate to admit the difficulties in fighting for the two-time championship, also guaranteeing that he will not give up as long as it is mathematically possible. José Mota, on the other hand, does not forget the draw obtained at Luz (1-1) in the first round, but warns of the power of reaction of a 'great' to a disappointment. It is worth mentioning that the Algarve team has not lost at home for almost two months, arriving at this match after a draw in Guimarães, against Vitória SC (1-1), still fighting to escape the relegation places, which is also a warning for the Luz emblem. The truth is that Benfica will enter the field practically 24 hours after seeing their rival Sporting transform the seven-point advantage into ten points, so the mission will 'necessarily' be to restore that difference to seven points, at the start of the last four rounds. In case of a 'stumble', scenarios of a possible green and white party will quickly be fueled next weekend. The game is scheduled to start at 8:15 pm (mainland Portugal time) this Monday, with Gustavo Correia refereeing, and you can follow the incidents of the match live on Desporto ao Minuto.

Coaches in direct speech

José Mota:

Impact of the draw at Luz: "These are games with completely different characteristics. We know how Benfica will play and we know that these 'big' teams do not like and do not lose two games in a row"

Moment of the opponent: "I expect a Benfica in their image, very strong trying to resolve the game as quickly as possible, which is typical of 'great' teams, and who will want to impose their rhythm of play. We also understand that, in psychological terms, this team wants to give an image and have a different result than they had for the Europa League".

Weighty absences: "All those who will be called will correspond with all their will and determination, and try to play a good game in the collective sense. Our team is worth exactly its collective and way of being. (...) We will be prepared not only to try to cancel out Benfica's power, but also to make our individualities and, fundamentally, our collective come to the fore".

Roger Schmidt:

Reaction to elimination in the Europa League: "Of course, we were all disappointed. The goal was to advance to the semi-finals. We wanted to do something special in the Europa League. But of course the game ended with penalties and the players needed two days to deal with the situation. Our goal is to look ahead, focus on tomorrow's game and demonstrate our attitude on the field. That's the most important thing. Accept Thursday's result and stay focused on the next game. End the League at a better level. My feeling is that the players are already feeling prepared to play against Farense".

Point distance to Sporting: "Most likely we will not be champions, but we will not give up and cross our arms. Sporting are playing very regularly and have already scored several points and we have lost some throughout the season. That's why they have a seven-point advantage. It's a big advantage, but nothing is decided. We have to do our part, stay focused, win the next five games to get back into the championship and have a chance. It is a possible situation".

Influence of Di María: "It's good that we can win games without Di María, but he's a decisive player who scores and assists. He's involved in several attacking moments. I have no doubt about Ángel Di María's performance. He is a player who is always in good physical shape. I think he is the player who has played the most games in his career. He is someone with tremendous potential to score goals. It's not because he's on the field or not that we lose quality. The team depends on individual quality. Di María is a player who has particular abilities and who is key in passing lines. He has shown this throughout his career. I am very satisfied with his performance and I evaluate the player positively".

Latest results

Farense: D-W-L-D-L

Benfica: W-L-W-W-W

Latest starting elevens

Farense: Ricardo Velho, Pastor, Igor Rossi, Gonçalo Silva, Talys Oliveira , Cláudio Falcão, Facundo Cáseres, Rafael Barbosa, Mohamed Belloumi, Marco Matias and Bruno Duarte.

Benfica: Anatoliy Trubin, Alexander Bah, António Silva, Nicolás Otamendi, Fredrik Aursnes, Florentino Luís, João Neves, Ángel Di María, Rafa Silva, David Neres, Casper Tengstedt.

Absences

Farense: Luiz Felipe (injured); Bruno Duarte and Matheus Oliveira (suspended).

Benfica: Juan Bernat and Tomás Araújo (injured).

Read Also: "Most likely we will not be champions, but we will not give up" (Portuguese version)