[超級盃] Classic kick-off for Portuguese season
http://www.uefa.com/footballeurope/news/kind=2/newsid=568659.html
Classic kick-off for Portuguese season
Saturday 11 August 2007
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Just one point separated Portuguese Liga champions FC Porto and runners-up
Sporting Clube de Portugal last season and they raise the curtain on what
should be another exciting campaign in the Super Cup in Leiria on Saturday.
Porto confidence
While Porto celebrated a fourth league title in five years, Sporting had to
satisfy themselves with the Portuguese Cup, their first major honour since a
domestic clean sweep in 2001/02. Porto, returning to Leiria after beating
Vitoria FC to lift this trophy for a 15th time last year, are in good shape
again having seen off the likes of hosts Feyenoord and Liverpool FC to win
last weekend's Port of Rotterdam Tournament. Their squad is missing only new
recruit Ernesto Farias with a thigh injury and Argentina midfielder Lucho
Gonzalez, who is not match fit.
'Working very well'
It is not surprising, then, that Porto defender Bruno Alves is in high
spirits. "We have been working very well and we have just come from a victory
in Rotterdam," he said. "We are all prepared and focused on doing well. It's
important for us to win this match. I hope our supporters can help us out by
appearing in numbers in Leiria. I saw the Sporting friendly against Vitoria
SC and they have a very well-organised team. We will try to cancel that out."
Defensive options
Even the €30m departure of fellow defender Pepe to Real Madrid CF does not
worry Bruno Alves. "Pepe is a great player and would be important for any
team," he said. "However, Porto are well served as we have many options in
central defence. I feel just fine playing alongside [new signing Milan]
Stepanov, a quality player, but I am more used to playing with Pedro Emanuel.
It is up to the coach who plays."
Sporting hopes
Sporting's five Super Cup wins puts them second on the all-time list behind
their fellow UEFA Champions League group stage entrants Porto. They suffered
a blow in their most recent game with a 1-0 defeat by arch-rivals SL Benfica
in the Torneio Internacional do Guadiana in the Algarve, but their
injury-free status means there is room for optimism. "We will be much better
by the time we face Porto as we are going to correct some errors we've been
making," said Anderson Polga, while Joao Moutinho added: "We have had a full
week to prepare for the Super Cup and I'm confident we'll win it." The Liga
season begins next weekend, with Porto at SC Braga and Sporting welcoming A.
Academica de Coimbra.
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今晚有葡萄牙的超級盃，由聯賽冠軍Porto對上盃賽冠軍Sporting。
下星期葡超正式開始！
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